


Puppy Cargo

by SilverBlaze85



Series: Puppy Cargo Verse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-06
Updated: 2010-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-26 01:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/645059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverBlaze85/pseuds/SilverBlaze85
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>AU at the tail-end of Season 2. Mild cursing. Sam, Dean. Gen. OC-female, not a romantic interest. This started by a desire to play with Daddy-Dean. And it morphed from there, into its own ‘verse. Main story is complete, time-stamps being added on occasion.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>When a friend of the Winchester calls in a favor, Dean and Sam find themselves transporting a young child across the country. The only glitch? She's a Loup Garou.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

_Alrighty, this has been bugging at me to do, so here it is. This story just helps lay the foundation work...I just simply ask that you at least wait until Chapter 3 before deciding if you hate it or not. Dean kinda struggled with me a bit here...I think he's out of character, but it's the best I could get. Enjoy?_

_Timeline: AU at the tail end of season 2. Please see the 'rules' for the guidelines and understandings._

_Warnings: None that I can think of. Unless you have a thing against a father-figure Dean?_

_Spoilers: Nope, not here._

* * *

_A year ago._

Dean was laying in the thick, white nest of bedding, every last inch of him cradled and supported in the softness. Not their usual fare at all, and the crushing lack of traffic was keeping him awake in the almost complete darkness. He turned his head; yup. Sam was passed out solidly, one arm snaked out and draped over the edge of the plush pillowtop mattress. He didn't begrudge the kid his sleep, but damn...he huffed, turning over to face the wall again. The absence of a creak, or the frame protesting was just as disconcerting as everything else about this hunt. Maybe he could sleep in the Impala for the night.

Bobby had called, asked them to help out a friend of his. She had a Kelpie problem in her pond, and he was elbow-deep in a skinwalker problem, couldn't get to her in time. Dean snorted mentally...old coot had forgotten to mention his friend was a witch. Damned things.

To be fair, the PC term was Pagan now, and she wasn't half bad. Apparently, she ran some form of a half-way house...they'd seen more ghosts in their three days here than they had in the previous three months, but all were courteous and polite, most lingering just long enough to pass on a message to Autumn before disappearing.

Well, except for her ghost dog. Dean shuddered, flipping back over to watch Sam in the darkness some more. He smirked, remembering that morning, Sam sound asleep on the floor of the living room, back against a crackling fire, arms wrapped around the mastiff-mix's barrel chest, face buried in Nateas' fur. The Kelpie had half-drowned him and the witch before they got it vanquished, but the beating had taken it's toll on the younger brother. The dog was massive, some mix of a mastiff and rottweiler and god knows what else, and built like a frickin house.

He was about to get up, go sleep in the damned Impala, when he hear the faintest whisper outside their bedroom door. He froze, ears straining, and heard the quiet rasp of rubber on carpet...someone was walking past their door. Only three people in the house wore shoes, and two were in this very room.

It took a moment to throw on jeans, stuff his feet into boots, slide the 9 mm into his waistband, throw the jacket to cover, cell into the pocket, and ease open the door. The slight noise had Sam furrow his brow, but didn't wake him, and Dean caught the glimpse of Autumn turning the corner of the stairs, Nateas' tail wagging eagerly behind. It was possible the dog still followed the same routines of needing outside, but considering he had seen it walk through walls without blinking, that seemed rather highly unlikely. He waited a moment before following.

She was headed towards the barn, the door already open and golden light spilling into the darkness. She paused by the door, dark blue eyes flickering over the fields and then towards the house, and he froze, pressing against shadows. She ducked inside, and he moved across the lawn, pressing against the wood to listen intently.

Heavy labored breathing, a whining sort of a whimper, and the witch's soft whisper. "Oh, Jack. Damnit. Stupid fucking hunters." Her voice trailed off, there was a yelp. "Sorry, sorry. Looks like it was clean though...Can you shift, or do I need to force it?"

The silence held long enough Dean risked peeking around the corner, and he froze, eyes landing on the massive grey wolf that stood in the barn, head hung low, panting. Blood spilled from a gash across it's back, the wound shallow and long across the shoulders. He squinted, considered...it looked like a bullet graze rather than a knife wound. Autumn kneeled beside it, jeans dusty already, eyes focused on the beast. "Jack? I need you to shift...if you don't I'll have to force it, and I know how much that hurts."

Dean was a step away from offering to help her move it when the air shimmered, twisting as the wolf quivered, whining as the panting increased, and the thing changed...

His gun was pulled and aimed as the werewolf stopped changing, a man resting on his hands and knees as he shivered, the fur hiding the wound missing now. He raised bright blue eyes to Dean, and jerked his chin. "Hunter."

Autumn spun, eyes narrowing. "Go back to the house Dean."

"That's a fuckin werewolf Autumn."

"Am. Not. Werewolf. Am Loup Garou," Jack spat, frame quivering, though the Hunter now sensed it was from the urge to change rather than cold.

"Same thing Fuzzy. Both mean you're a menace."

Autumn stood, and stalked towards Dean, shoving the gun away. "You promised to not harm anything while you were here. Jack is Loup Garou, not a werewolf. And he's wounded, so if you're smart, you'll leave. I've got this. He'll be gone by morning."

"I am not leaving you alone with a damned werewolf. Are you stupid? Do you know what those things do?" Though, he had to admit, the pale and shaking man didn't seem to pose much of a threat, blood dripping onto the dusty floor. He didn't have silver bullets in the clip, hadn't thought there were any weres in the area, but the regular ammo would at least wound it further.

"Am not a werewolf. Am Loup Garou." Jack snarled again, pushing himself to his feet.

"And they're the same thing."

"No, they're not, actually. Listen to me. Go back to the house. He's wounded, and it's my job to fix him. He won't hurt me. None of the Garous would." Autumn shook her head, frame tense as she eyed Dean. "Either leave, or help me. I can't focus on him if you're threatening to shoot him." She spun from him, slinging Jack's arm over her shoulders as she led him to one of the stalls.

Dean took a mental step back, analyzing the situation. Yes, there was a werewolf, but his gut wasn't screaming alarms. He trusted Sam's judgment more than his own, but considering the kid was still sound asleep...with a disgusted sigh he thumbed off the safety, shoving the weapon away as he stalked over to the stall.

He wasn't expecting to see the surgical table, nor the rest of the equipment laid out. He shook his head, remembering Autumn mentioning she was a vet, and leaned against the door, arms crossed against his chest, watching. "So what makes a loup garou any different than a werewolf? Both were in my Dad's journal, he cross-referenced them together. They're the same thing."

Jack was sprawled on his stomach, but shifted enough to prop his head on his folded arms, keen eyes watching the Hunter. "They are not the same. You are Hunter. It is in your blood. You have been bred to be Hunter." The man's English was heavily accented, pain slurring it further, but even then, he could hear the sneer in it. Autumn lightly cuffed his head as she examined the injury, and he lifted a lip at her. "I am Loup Garou. It is in my family. Our family has a long line of Loup Garou. Werewolves are beasts, stupid killing monsters. Loup Garou...we are different." He flinched, and his shoulders abruptly drooped as Autumn removed the syringe needle from his flesh.

"Easy Jack. Let that set, okay. Dean, sit down, you're makin me nervous." She wasn't even looking at him, eyes focused on the thread and needle she was threading. "Jack, just relax. It'll be over in a minute, we'll get you back on all fours, okay?" The wolf just sluggishly nodded, breathing already deeper and steadier than before.

"What'd you do to him?" Dean inquired as he came closer, taking a closer look at the ripped skin. Yeah, that was a bullet, for sure. Nasty one too. "How'd that miss the spine, anyway?"

"I sedated him. Makes him less likely to shift on me." She adjusted her light, shaking her head. "Damned hunters. Most Loup Garous stay clear, but they've learned to shift as best they can when fired at. Helps displace the organs, make it less likely the shot will be fatal."

"Any Hunter would have used a silver bullet for the heart. The silver always seems to rot the flesh where it touches... why's this clean?" The injury, while bleeding and red and angry, showed no sign of the usual silver poisoning.

"Because it wasn't your type of hunter. This was a regular, 'let's-hunt-Bambi' type of hunter. Wolves are legal to hunt in this area, with a proper permit. I can't get the Pack's territory sanctioned as a preserve, and it's just outside of my area...I can't even mark it as no-hunting. Not that that would stop most of these idiots." She lightly pricked Jack's skin, and when he made no move, slid the needle through, pulling it clear on the other side. A quick knot, a snip, and she settled into the rhythm of suturing.

"Why do you both keep saying Loup Garous are different?" He wanted to help, do something other than make like a statue, but she was fully competent, movements quick and efficient as she closed the gash.

"They are. Werewolves are made when one bites a human, and it changes them, right? They're bloodthirsty, change with the moon, and hunt down human hearts. Messy and nasty, and plain ugly." She flicked a glance up at Dean, and when he nodded, turned back to Jack. "Loup Garou are different. They're bred like this...it's in their blood, like Jack said. Started way back in Europe, ages ago. It can only be passed by genetics...biting you won't get you changed, just dead, usually. They change into a full wolf, not some upright monster. And they can change whenever, not just when the moon is full." She quieted for a moment, focusing on navigating a shift in the gash. "Though, when in pain, or whenever they bleed, its instinct for them to change. Wolves are stronger and tougher than humans; they're safer as wolves."

She tossed a smirk at Dean, and closed off the last stitch, straightening to eye her handiwork. "Good." She smoothed ointment over them, and flipped off the light, shoving the dirty trash into a bag, the sharps into a marked bin on the table.

Dean considered the odd mix of barn and medical suite, frowning as he scuffed a boot in the dust. "Isn't it kinda...unsanitary to do stitches in here?"

"Not on these guys." She knelt down, face on level with Jack's, and rested a hand on his cheek. "Hey, buddy. You're all done, okay? You know the drill...come back tomorrow, I'll take them out. Just rest though, okay? Be careful shifting, and if you need anything, send Nateas." He nodded absently, eyes sliding closed again, and she stood, jerking her head towards the door as she finished tidying up.

She eased the stall door mostly closed, and flipped off the overhead barn light as she passed. "See, they have much better immune systems than we do. Higher metabolism too...and the healing is insane. He'll be good as new tomorrow, provided he doesn't tear it open shifting today." She eyed Dean, glaring. "You don't go hunting them, got it? I mean it Dean. I won't allow it."  
  
He nodded, rolling his shoulders uneasily. "As long as they don't go after humans, we can look the other way."  
*************

Dean and Sam had headed out the next day, rested up and ready to roll again. He had told Sam about the Loup Garou, and had made some notes in his journal as they had all lounged after dinner that night, the quiet broken occasionally by wolf howls in the distance. He hadn't thought more of it...after all, they hunted werewolves, and he hadn't really heard of the Loup Garou before, it was rather unlikely to hear from them again for anything in the future.

Oh, if he'd had known how wrong he was.  
  
***************


	2. Chapter 2

_Present Day_

Sam was leaning against the door, a position he was prone to despite years of admonishes against it. The steady purr of the engine, the Led Zeppelin leaking out of the speakers, and the monotonous scenery was more than enough to have him dozing, not really awake, but alert enough that Dean couldn't mess with him. Yet. Another hour or so...the elder smirked, knowing his patience would be well rewarded.

When Sam's phone started shimmying in his pocket and blaring out "I Feel Like A Woman", Dean tried his best innocent look as Sam jerked back awake, bitch-face already in place and glaring. "Dude, not me." He waved his empty hands at Sam before turning an eye back to the road, keeping a curious ear and eye on the situation.

"Yeah, not calling, but we're gonna talk about this ringtone man." Sam was frowning, the number unknown to him, but he shrugged, pushing the button to answer and burrowing it against the mop of his hair. "Hello?" Dean furrowed a brow as Sam flicked large eyes over at him, nodding against the phone. "Yeah, hey, what's up Autumn?" Dean tilted his head in question, settling back into the vinyl as the curiosity to the caller bled into curiosity to the reason for the call, and Sam shrugged at him. "Where are we? Um..."

"Just left Tulsa about an hour ago. I think we're just outside Siloam Springs, why?" Dean licked his lip, watching Sam intently.

They'd left Autumn's over a year ago, closer to 15 months, and they hadn't heard much from her. She didn't strike Dean as the type to call outta nowhere, and he started reviewing the map in his head, planning the quickest way to get there if need be. Sam's low and hesitant answer to a question had green eyes flickering back over to hazel.

"Autumn, man...I don't know." Sam bit his lip, brow furrowed as he peered at Dean. "That's not normally something we do..." He trailed off as Dean held out his hand, ring sparkling as he made impatient gimme motions. "Hang on, here's Dean."

"Hey Autumn." Dean rolled his eyes at Sam before settling back in to watch the road.

"Dean. How far out are you?" Autumn's voice was steady, but he could hear a tone of urgency that she was trying to hide from him.

"About three hours, two if we pushed our luck. What's going on? That Kelpie back?"

"No." The silence dragged for a moment, and she sighed. "I don't trust that my phone hasn't been tapped. I can't really tell you. I need a favor. One that I don't really ask lightly. If you can't..." she trailed off, and he had an image of her chewing her lip, eyes dark. "I don't know. Please Dean."

The Hunter glanced at Sam, who shrugged again, the motion clearing saying it was up to Dean. He nodded, pressing the accelerator a bit harder. "We're on our way."

"Thank you. The quicker, the better Dean. Remember the lions." She hung up, and he frowned at the phone before tossing it back to Sam to shut off.

"Any idea what that was about?" Sam stretched out his legs as best he could, propping his head on his hand as he stared out the window.

Dean shook his head, eyes flicking to his watch to gauge the time. "You know about as much as I do Sammy. But she's not one to cry wolf. If she needs a favor...we'll do our best to help. She's good people."

* * *

The Impala growled low as she crept up the driveway, easing to a stop before the two massive stone lions that stood on either side of the paved lane. Their eyes glittered in the dying sun, set in expressions of bored amusement and the anticipation of a hunt. Dean rolled down the window, shivering as a cool breeze blew past. "We mean no harm, and promise to hunt nothing while we are here." The big cat on his side blinked slowly, concrete moving eerily, and when Sam repeated it, his cat did the same, a blue shimmering appearing briefly between the statues before disappearing, and Dean slid the Impala through gingerly. "Thank you." He glanced in the rearview mirror, shuddering as the shimmering appeared again briefly.

"Those things wig me out. They're so not natural..." He shuddered, twitching his shoulders as they finished the drive up to the massive house that sat on the hill, overlooking the driveway. Autumn's old truck was against the barn, and Dean pulled the Impala in beside him, bumpers catty-corner, giving each vehicle a chance to pull out if needed quickly.

The car doors shutting drowned out Autumn's approach, but one look at her, and both boys knew trouble was sniffing around the house. Last time, she'd been sassy and tough, a needed quality for anyone who hung around Hunters for any length of time.

Now? Well, Dean couldn't say he was surprised to see Sam wrap her up in a careful embrace...the woman looked like she'd shatter if touched too hard. She was shaking lightly, eyes dark and large in her too-pale face, a fist pressed against her mouth hard. Dean just kept an eye on the encroaching darkness as he grabbed their go bags and slipped them over his shoulder. Anything to shake the witch this much wasn't good.

"Sorry." She had stepped away from Sam, rubbing a hand against her forehead as she frowned. The word was quiet and soft, and she was curled into herself, shoulders hunched.

"Autumn, what happened? What's going on?" Dean put a careful hand on her shoulder, not liking the way she was quivering.

"You can leave your bags...it's not safe to stay too long. You need to be out of here as quickly as we can get you..." She trailed off, and shook herself for a moment. She cast a gaze over both Hunters, and decided to be as honest as possible, no sugar-coating. "The pack is dead." She paused a moment, glancing at the sky as she took a shaky breath. "36 wolves, all dead. They were the fourth largest pack in the US, you know? And now..." She scoffed a breathy laugh, and Sam shook his head.

"How...how could they get that many permits?"

"Wrong type of Hunters, Sam. They had silver bullets, shot down the pack." Dean closed his eyes at the sight of the tear that slid down her cheek, and dropped the bags back into the Impala. "I heard the shots, from the clinic. It took me about an hour, but I got away enough to check, since Jack and Hailey weren't answering their phones. I called you as soon as I got back."

"Autumn, don't get me wrong. This is horrible, but what can we do? You said you needed a favor. We're not going to hunt down other Hunters...we can't." Sam was quiet, the words soft but still firm, and she shook her head, turning towards the house as she motioned.

"That's not my favor. There were 37 wolves in the entire pack."

"You said 36 a minute ago," Dean argued softly, voice wary. She opened the door, and cast a glance at them.

"The Hunters killed 36. I have the last one in here. And I need to get her to a safe spot."

Sam shook his head, watching Dean with dark hazel eyes, and the elder crossed his arms, shivering slightly in the cool night. "Autumn, what's to say that she'll even go with us? After all, Hunters just killed her family, it's not like she'll forgive and forget. And we don't usually do transporting, you know that."

Autumn didn't answer, just stepped into the house and let the screen door shut, disappearing into the brightly lit kitchen, and further into the living room beyond. Sam huffed a breath, trading a glance with Dean before following the woman into the house. "Dean, I don't like this. Something's not adding up right."

"I agree, but let's at least hear her out. Autumn's not prone to be flighty..." he trailed off, heart clenching at the sight waiting for them in the living room. "Oh, hell."

Autumn hugged herself hard, eyes not moving from the couch. "Please. If you can't take her...it won't take long for them to realize they missed one. And they'll hunt her down. I don't know who else to trust right now. And I don't think Bobby could, not as well as the two of you." She turned to Dean, eyes glittering in the light as tears threatened. "She's just a baby. She doesn't deserve to die, not for being what she is. There's a pack in both Maine and Washington that will take her. It's 32 hours of solid driving to hit either one, and then you'll be able to wash your hands of her."

Dean scrubbed a hand over his face, sighing heavily. "Damnit." She was still laying on the couch, a thumb in her lax little mouth as she slept on, lashes feathering across chubby cheeks.

Sam shook his head, taking a step back. "Dean, we can't."

Those were the wrong words. Dean swung around, eyes hard as he pegged his brother with a stare. It was a moment as they stared off, and then Dean held out his 9mm to Sam. "Then you put her down. Because leaving her here, that's exactly what will happen. You'll be condemning her to death, Sam."

"You don't honestly think we could hide her from Hunters, Dean. We're hiding from the Feds as is...you want to add possible kidnapping charges to that? And what happens when we come strolling into a Loup Garou pack with one of their kids? Somehow, I don't see that going over real well."

"I already called both packs. Her mom was from Washington, and her dad was out of the Maine pack. Both said they'd take her. They won't hurt you, you're helping them save their family. And no one would call on kidnapping charges." Autumn was pleading now, blue eyes dark with sorrow as she argued for the toddler sleeping.

"If we took her, what's to stop the Hunters from following us to them? They could wipe out the other Packs Autumn."

"I'm hoping, if you left now, they wouldn't realize you were ever here. They'll still think I have her. And you could be out of the state before they realized I didn't."

Dean's voice stopped the quiet argument, his green eyes still watching the sleeping baby. "How'd she make it out Autumn?"

The witch sighed, sniffed hard. "She was at the clinic. Alex brought her by...she'd been running a fever, so she got worried. Then Jack called, and I said I'd watch her until they got back. Then I got worried, and then heard the shots. They didn't even use silencers."

"So they've not seen her yet."

"No. I've not seen them either, but I'm well-known in the Hunter community for helping supernaturals. It won't take long for them to come looking here." Autumn bit her lip, and caught Dean's gaze, pleading. "Dean...Please. I don't ask this for me. She deserves to have a family, not be killed just for being alive. Please."

He closed his eyes, weighing the options, and let out a breath, nodding. "It's a bad idea, but I think it's the only choice we have."

"Dean! You cannot be serious!" Sam's voice woke her, and Autumn took no time in scooping up the toddler, stroking the fine chocolate locks as she crooned softly, cutting off the cries before they could start. She ducked into the kitchen as Dean glared at Sam.

"We don't have another choice. She's an innocent. We'll drop her off, and that'll be our good deed, okay? 32 hours, Sammy. That's all, and we can save her."

Autumn strode back in, the toddler limp in her arms as she watched the two of them. "I sedated her. I don't like to, but you have to get out of here if you're going to get a head start. I have everything packed, you have my number."

"Autumn, you're going to have to give me more information than that...we're talking over a day here. And this will traumatize her beyond belief, you know that?"

"Yeah, but she'll be alive. Dean...this is her only hope. Her name is Kiara, she's 10 months old, and yes, it'll traumatize her. But she'll recover, and she'll live. And if Alex was right, she'll be an Alpha one day, have her own Pack. I've got everything, you just have to get out of here." She hefted a duffel, slinging it over her shoulder as she strode through the house to the door. "She can shift, so don't be surprised if that happens. She's housebroken but not potty-trained. She'll know when you're close to the other Pack." Autumn pressed a paper and a necklace into Dean's hand, blue eyes catching his gaze intently. "This is the directions to the point where you'll have to make a choice, East or West. Whichever way you go, Nateas will go ahead and let that Pack know you're dropping her off there. The coordinates to the drop-offs are written, that's where they'll meet you. The necklace will stop her from shifting into another form...it hurts her, though, if you have to, don't hesitate to use it. Better to hurt for a little bit than to shift into a wolf in the middle of a traffic stop."

"Diet?" Dean's question was short and to the point as Sam took the bag from Autumn.

"Formula is in the bag, bottles too. Her dry cereal and puppy kibble. Depends on if she's wolf or human when she's hungry. Rare to raw meat is good for her, she needs the iron in it right now. She's got drops for her fever…it's not contagious, but it's a precaution. They're not necessary, it just lowers the fever a few degrees. Use them if it'll make you feel better, or you can leave them."

Sam tossed the duffel in the back seat, and cast an appraising gaze over the distinct lack of seat belts. "We're gonna have to be real careful to not get the attention of any cops...more so than usual. Child endangerment is not something even I can talk our way out of."

"I have a car seat I could give you, but without seat belts, I don't think it'd do you much good." Autumn shook her head, and hugged the baby close as they both settled into the Impala, pressing a lingering kiss to the baby's forehead. "I'm gonna miss you so much baby girl. You be good, and when you get older, I'll come find you. Tell you all about your mommy and daddy and your pack. You just be safe little one."

"Don't worry Autumn. We'll take good care of her, get her safe and sound. I promise." The sincerity in the green eyes watching was enough to push her, and she handed Kiara over, pressing her fist against her mouth as Dean settled the toddler on the seat beside him, curled on her side, head resting against his thigh as he shut the door and fired up the Impala, dropping into drive before settling a hand protectively on her hip. "I promise. We'll call you in the morning. Be careful, okay?"

The witch chuckled wryly and waveringly, sniffed hard against the tears. "I was about to say the same to you. If you need anything, have any questions, call me, okay? I'm sorry to do this to you, I really am. I'll walk you through as best I can. Go, now. Before it gets any more unsafe." She took a step back, and Dean knew the look in her blue eyes would haunt his dreams tonight. The pain and sorrow and fear that were in them were the same in his father's eyes that night, twenty-some years ago, and again, he had a baby in his arms, fleeing into the night as quickly as he could.

The Impala growled low as she slid into the darkness, red tail lights finally fading into the night. "Be careful guys."

* * *

Dean followed the road until it intersected AR-128, and slid to a stop, sighing. "Alright, decision time Sammy. What have you got?"

Sam frowned at the map in his lap, flashlight held in the crook of his neck as he flicked a gaze to the sleeping baby. "Maine is a few hundred miles closer, but not enough to make much of a driving difference. It may save us two, three hours. If we go to Washington, we can cut through South Dakota, get Bobby's help if we need to."

"Left it is then."  
  
****************  


  



	3. Chapter 3

They'd only been driving an hour, possibly an hour and half, before Kiara started fussing, making scrunched faces against Dean's leg as she whimpered. The dim glow further off on the horizon suggested a town, and he prayed that it was big enough to have a motel. Sleeping in the car held a negative appeal at this point, and surely he couldn't be the only one.

He chanced a glance over at Sam, who was watching the dark scenery blur past, expression bland and bored. Dean cocked a grin as he saw his brother blink slowly; apparently, he wasn't the only tired one. The thought made his eyes flicker to the cargo they were transporting…and his heart hiccupped again. There was little resemblance between Kiara and Sam, but his mind kept superimposing the images, and for a split second, he was 5 years old again, watching little Sammy sleeping as his Dad argued quietly on the phone in the kitchen of their tiny apartment. He shook his head free of the ghosts of the past, and grinned.

He had to admit, the little pup was cute…but that didn't mean he wanted to get trapped in a car with a child that was with two adults she'd never seen. Especially not when said child had the ability to turn canine. He cocked his head, pondering.

"Hey, Sam. What do you think she changes into?"

Sam swung his head around, brow furrowed, eyes wide. "Uh, a wolf?" The sarcasm was heavy, even for Sasquatch, and Dean causally lifted his hand from Kiara's hip to toss his brother the bird. Good, there was the motel sign.

"No, asshat. I mean…do you think she's a ten-month old puppy? They have some pretty wicked teeth…" He chuckled as Sam absently rubbed his foot against his calf, where one of Bobby's puppies had gotten a little frisky when they were much younger, nipping the kid playfully.

Sam eyed the kid with trepidation. "God, I hope not." He frowned as Dean gently pulled off into the motel parking lot, wincing as the Impala jostled in the transition from smooth pavement to rough gravel. "Why are we stopping already?"

Dean put the Impala in park, and turned off the engine. "Because I don't want to be stuck in the close quarters we're in when this kid wakes up and decides to go furry on our asses. A room, at least we have space to maneuver if we have to. Plus, I dunno about you, but I'm whupped." He slid a hand under the damp cheek, chuckling at the imprint of his jeans on it, and carefully eased his leg free, settling Kiara back on the seat. "Besides, we should be far enough out, and if any Hunters do catch our trail, they're likely to believe we'd be a lot further out than this. I'll make it quick. Don't wake her up."

It took only a few minutes to secure a room, and he hesitated a moment, wondering if he should ask if they had cribs or not, before deciding against it. Easier to come back later if they did need one, than to shuffle around one if they didn't. By the time he had made it back to the Impala though, the kid was awake, barely. She had a fist rubbing at her eye, little face scrunched up in confusion. Sam's face, on the other hand, was sheer and utter terror. "I didn't do it!" was the exclamation as soon as he opened the door.

He settled in, firing up the engine before taking a closer look. "She's not awake yet." Sam's snort was of utter disbelief, and Dean shook his head. "She's not. Likely, the car door jolted her awake. She'll crash again in a minute." And sure enough, she was already drooping again, fist still pressed into her orbital socket. "Told ya."

Thankfully, there weren't any lights on in either of the rooms bracketing theirs, and the parking lot was mostly empty. He tossed the car keys to Sam, to get their bags, and slid the room key into his jean pocket as Sam slid out of the car, making his way towards the trunk. "Hey baby girl, we're here." He ran a hand through her wispy hair, trying to coax her just awake enough to move her easily. She whimpered, squirming again, and he took his cue, scooping her up carefully and easing out of the Impala. Sleepy and still trusting, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he jogged her a bit, making sure his arm was secure against her bum. "Yeah, I know. We'll get you settled in." The warm heavy weight of a sleeping baby, and the faint scent that he hadn't smelled since he was a toddler was enough to have him glancing around briefly before nuzzling her. She exhaled softly, smelling of milk and sleep, and buried her face against his throat as he shut the driver's door.

"You good?" Sam nodded, already having her baby bag thrown over his shoulder, and their two go-bags as well. Dean knew it would be another trip for the remnants of their one-night stay supplies, including the med kit he was hoping they wouldn't wind up needing, and the six pack chilling in the cooler, which he knew they would.

Bracing himself, he unlocked their door, and flipped on the lights. And paused. All things considered…the décor wasn't that horrible. Dark green carpeting accented the dark green bedding, and the walls were a sage-green, decorated with watercolors. Not bad. He snorted as he moved out of the way for Sam to enter. Then again, it couldn't be hard to beat a wedding dress hanging on the wall.

Sam dropped Dean's duffel on the first bed, closest to the door, and his own on the other. He dropped the baby bag at his feet and stretched, moaning softly, back cracking loudly as his fingers brushed against the ceiling. He'd been doing that ever since he'd come back from Stanford, Dean mused. Then again, before he'd usually sprawled in the back seat. "Dude, you're like a cat."

"Not my fault your sweetheart isn't designed for those of average height." The words were light, and Dean grumbled good-naturedly.

"Yeah, yeah. She is, for average people. You're just freakishly tall." He settled Kiara on his bed, shaking his head as she curled up instantly. "You've got the keys, go ahead and go grab some food. I'm starving." As if on cue, a low warning growl sounded, and he patted the washboard abs. "See?"

"Yeah, alright. The usual?" Meaning the greasiest, most stomach-churning burger he could find, heaped with the extra onions he lived off of, and, with any luck, some form of a pie-type pastry to soothe his sweet tooth.

"As if that ever changes."

Sam eyed the baby, a faint look of alarm still there. "What about her?"

Dean shrugged, grabbing the bag and plopping into the armchair that was against the wall. "I'll keep an eye on her. With as late as it is, and the sedative Autumn gave her, she ain't likely to wake-up anytime soon."

"Alright. Call if that changes, okay?" Dean tossed him the room keys, and kicked his legs out, stretching subtly as Sam left. The Impala was a beauty, but damn if the days on end behind the wheel didn't start to cause him to stiffen up. He rolled his neck, wincing at the tight pull, and froze as his own green eyes met steel-grey.

The kid was quiet, that was for sure. She'd sat up, more alert than she'd been so far, and the eyes that watched him were as wary as the alternative form she had. There was absolutely no warmth in them, just bewilderment, fear and anxiety. He relaxed as they shifted away, as she checked out the rest of the room. A soft keening noise rose as she searched more frantically, and he cursed softly, crossing the short distance in a few steps. "Shh. It's okay. You're alright." He sat gingerly on the edge of the mattress, and she shoved at him, scooting backwards and keening higher. "Hey, it's okay." He reached a hand towards her, and she panicked, eyes darting wildly as she scrambled away, just inches from the edge.

He was lunging across the bed at her, which, admittedly, probably wasn't the most reassuring thing, when she slid her legs off, slithered to the floor, and there was a spark of light. "Shit!"

He didn't know what to expect, but the puppy growling at him definitely was NOT it. "Well, you're not ten months here. Sammy'll be pleased." He propped his chin on his hands, watching her carefully. She looked maybe 5 weeks old, if his foggy memory of Bobby's surprise litter was correct. Her eyes weren't the typical blue of puppies, but that same steel-grey she had as a human. The chocolate fur wasn't a surprise, given the color of her hair, but he had to admit, the accents were adorable. Her left foot had a black boot, and there was a triangle of silver fur at her throat. But the most noticeable was the golden-blonde streak across her face. It started at her lip, on the right side, curling up and across her muzzle, to curl around her left ear, ending in a spiral right in front of the perky ear. Those teeth weren't something to sneeze at, though. And she had them bared, the growl more panicked than threatening.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." The growling got louder with his voice, so he opted for silence, instead, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He could wait her out. He figured he still had a half-hour before Sam got back with supper, and if she hadn't calmed down by then, she probably wouldn't their entire trip.

Sure enough, after about five minutes of him not moving, nor talking, and the growls tapered off, her little head cocking. He bit his cheek to keep from saying anything, and she hesitantly stood, footing sure as she put her little paws up on the mattress, stretching her neck as far as she could, sniffing warily. When he didn't move, she sneezed, set back on her feet, and cocked her head at him. "You decided I'm not a threat after all?" She stood, shook her fur out, and trotted to the door, sitting against the wall. "Alright then."

Figuring it couldn't really hurt, he slowly stood, making sure his movements were slow and smooth, and wandered back to the diaper bag. He flipped it open, figuring it best to find out what was in it, and frowned at the cream envelope sitting on top.

After picking it up, the bag seemed to contain an odd assortment of supplies. There was the generic baby-shampoo, washrag, some lotion, stacks of diapers, wipes, and some various small bottles and tubes. Clothes were neatly folded, and set at the very bottom, set up as the foundation for packing. An expanse of blue turned out to be a blanket, covered in dog hair, securing formula and bottles amid jars of food. In addition, there was a small tug rope, a bag of kibble, and he snorted wryly, shaking his head. In the outer pocket was a rose pink collar, with a small silver tag that read "Kiara" and had Autumn's number on it. He peered closer at the stitching, and chucked in amusement at the tiny stitching of protective sigils and symbols decorating it in pink thread. A leash of the same color was settled into the bottom, and a bottle that had a prescription label on it.

"Not bad kiddo. I think we're pretty well set here so far, yeah?" He flicked a glance at her, and she was laying down, head resting on crossed paws, eyeing him warily, but with interest. Remembering his Dad, and the puppies that had taken over Bobby's house that summer, he sat on the floor, back against the wall, and kicked his feet out in front of him before tearing open the envelope.

_Dean and Sam,_

_I will never be able to thank you enough for what you're doing. It means the world, to both me, and literally, that little girl. By now, Nateas has already gone ahead and let the pack know that you'll be coming their way, and they'll inform the other pack to not expect you. I pray that you'll be able to get her there without complications, and safely._

_I'm sure by now you've gone through the bag. The shampoo can be used on the wolf fur as well as the baby, and the lotion is her soap. Her pH is a bit different than yours and mine. Just wet the rag, and use the lotion as you would soap. She's been teething lately, which the rope seems to help with, as well as to amuse her. The blanket is hers from her whelping day; if she gets fussy, try giving it to her. We all know how well a dog's sense of smell is. I'm hoping she won't be stressed enough to resist food, but if she does, she's more likely to take it in dog form rather than human. I've tried to keep everything small and essential._

_Some states have a leash law, so I've included her collar and leash. As you may or may not have seen yet, she's not a full-grown puppy. Loup Garou mature differently, she's 5 weeks old. You'll see some overlap in maturity, however. Don't be surprised if the baby does something that she shouldn't be able to just yet, or if the puppy is a bit more steady than expected. Part of being Loup Garou, from what I understand._

_Her drops are in the outside pocket; as I've told you, don't feel as if you must use them. Loup Garou core temp tends to run in the 99-100 degree range, depending on the weather and the person, so don't be alarmed if she feels hot to you in human form. If it ranges much higher than 102, you can give the drops. The amount is listed on the bottle._

A small warm head bumped against his leg, and he looked down, smiling as Kiara craned her head to sniff at the top of his boots. Apparently, he wasn't so scary now. He shook his head and turned back to the letter.

_As I will have said, feel free to call me if something arises. You two are amazing; Your father would have been very proud of you. The Loup Garou, and myself, are in your debt for this. Flee quickly, hide wisely, and may you always stay one step ahead of your quarry._

_Brightest of Blessings, until we next meet._

_Autumn_

He set the letter aside, shaking his head as he heard the approaching growl of the Impala. He pushed himself up, and Kiara tilted her head at him before prancing to the door, her small tail wagging awkwardly. "Not quite used to it, huh?" He was crouching down to pet her as the door opened, and in the next three seconds, chaos reigned.

Sam stepped in the door, balancing supper as he tried to free the key from the door. Kiara took one look at Dean looming over her, one look at the now-open door, and decided freedom was hers for the taking. Dean, seeing the inevitable, lunged, just as she dashed between Sam's feet, causing the younger Hunter to stumble and try to dodge the small furry mass. "What the hell?"

"Damnit!" Dean's fingers brushed against her tail, and he stumbled, regaining his balance as she disappeared into the darkness past the parking lot. "Shit."  
*************  
  



	4. Chapter 4

_Previously: He was crouching down to pet her as the door opened, and in the next three seconds, chaos reigned._

_Sam stepped in the door, balancing supper as he tried to free the key from the door. Kiara took one look at Dean looming over her, one look at the now-open door, and decided freedom was hers for the taking. Dean, seeing the inevitable, lunged, just as she dashed between Sam's feet, causing the younger Hunter to stumble and try to dodge the small furry mass. "What the hell?"_

" _Damnit!" Dean's fingers brushed against her tail, and he stumbled, regaining his balance as she disappeared into the darkness past the parking lot. "Shit."_

* * *

For a moment, it almost felt like time had froze, and Dean felt the horrible sense of 'Man, have I fucked up' settle on his shoulders. He turned and glared at Sam, who had already set the bags his hands had been full with on the table, and was pushing past him to get outside. "God damnit Sam."

"Not my fault Dean. How the hell was I supposed to know she was a dog? You yourself even said she'd still be asleep." The younger man snorted in aggravation before pushing past his brother, eyes keen on the darkness. "I don't suppose she comes when called?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Dean shrugged, eyes alert as he scanned the area. "Kiara! Come here girl…Kiara! Man, I REALLY don't want to explain to a pack why we lost their pup. _Kiara_!"

"Dean." Sam's voice wasn't loud, but his brother's head whipped around, shoulders dropping with relief at the small puppy wiggling frantically in Sam's arms. "Um…remember what Autumn said? About her being housebroken?" Kiara interrupted him with little puppish nibbles along his jaw, and he laughed, sliding her down out of reach of his face.

Dean slid a hand under her muzzle, checking her over efficiently for any possible injury. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Let's just say she gets a biscuit when we get inside." He tightened his grip on the squirming mass before tickling the booted paw with a smirk.

"What?" Confusion reigned on Dean's face for a moment, before the light from the opened door revealed the light redness that the embarrassment had left on Sam. "Oh….gotcha." He flushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. "Next time girl, ask, don't just run off. God…you coulda been hit, you know that?"

Kiara wilted a bit; her ears drooped down, her tail stopped wagging, and she stopped her excited squirming. "Dean, take it easy on her." Sam set her on the floor after they'd closed the door, and she instantly laid down, folding her legs under her as she curled up tightly. "It's okay, you just scared him is all. Hey now." Sam jumped as Dean tossed her tug rope at him before digging into the bag, and Kiara eyed the toy carefully. "Wanna play?" He slid the rope enticingly in front of her, dragging it slowly back and forth, and her grey eyes watched it intently, tail uncurling hesitantly to thump against the floor. He paused it for a second before jerking it away from her, and she lunged, yipping as she latched tiny teeth onto it with some fearsome growls. Sam laughed before tugging on it gently, adding his own growls playfully.

Dean watched them with amusement, kicking off his boots as he eased into the chair. "You gonna eat, Sam?" he asked, watching the puppy shake the rope hard enough to jerk her own body.

Sam's reply was a bit delayed, and distracted when he did respond. "Yeah...in a minute. Ack!" he tugged his watch free from her jaws, dangling the rope again as she glowered at him. "Not the watch. Clothing is not a toy." She sneezed, apparently giving her opinion on the subject, before 'launching' the small distance to reach the frayed ends of the toy. Loud and vocal growls filled the room as she struggled to free the rope, and he growled playfully as he tugged against her. "Yeah, you's a fearsome hunter, huh? Killing that evil rope, yes you are."

Kiara considered him warily over the rope for a second before planting her feet firmly, yanking back hard enough to tug the rope free. Which promptly sent her tail over head as she tumbled backwards. "Good job Sam, kill the puppy," was Dean's drawled observation, shaking his head as she bounced to her feet, shaking the rope vigorously as she 'killed' it, the knotted end thumping into her sides. She dragged it back to Sam, dropping in his lap as she stood spraddled, panting.

"We're done for now kiddo." He scratched under her chin, laughing as she slid grey eyes closed in pleasure, slowly creeping forward. "Hey Dean, toss me a fry."

"No."

"Yes." A bark from the puppy followed, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He tossed it, raising a brow in surprise as she reared back and caught it out of midair, shaking and killing it before flopping onto the carpet to gnaw on it. "Nice catch."

"You're not tossing her fries to watch her catch them. Hand over mine dude."

Dean handed the Styrofoam container over to his brother, shaking his head. "You're such a spoilsport Sammy." He watched her gnaw the fry into mush, shoulders slowly relaxing as she made progress on it without choking. "Anyway, I'm figuring we can hit Bobby's in about ten hours of driving, possibly more if we actually follow speed limits." The wrinkle he gave was his clear opinion on that. "You figure, leave here around six, stop at the diner we passed and get some decent breakfast, and shag ass outta town. Even stopping for lunch and whatnot, we outta hit the salvage yard around 5. If we bribe the old man with some steak, think he'd let us stay the night?"

Sam's snort was muffled by his food, and he shook his head, swallowing hard. "Dude, he lets us stay even when we _don't_ bribe him. The food is just a perk." He watched as Kiara snuffled the floor thoroughly for any more before glowing briefly, the flare dimming down as the puppy changed back into a toddler, and he shook his head. "Then again..."

"Yeah." Dean frowned, scrubbing a hand across his face before leaning forward. "Hey Kiara, you about ready for a bath?" She tucked her chin down, pouting at him, and he chuckled, standing up and stretching. "I figured. But it's time for little girls to have their three B's...Bath, bottle and bed. You've gotta be tired pup. I know I am, and I haven't had near the day you have."

"You wanna start the water, I can keep an eye on her," Sam offered, pushing his own container away as he started to unlace his shoes before taking them off.

"Nah, I got her." Dean had already scooped her up, latching the door knob's lock and then sliding the security chain, bouncing her lightly as she giggled. "You can put up the charms and the salt though, if you want. Or I can later, no big deal."

"Sounds good to me." The words were a bit slurred as Sam fought off a yawn long enough to say them, and Dean chuckled as the younger brother rummaged through the bag.

"Yeah, somehow I don't think Kiara's gonna be the only one in bed early tonight." Sam casually flipped him a middle finger without breaking his concentration, and Dean returned it without letting the kid see, grabbing the shampoo and lotion and washrag out of the bag and gathering it all up. "Come on kiddo, let's get you washed up and all clean, eh? We'll leave Sam to lock up while we wash the baby. Oh, hey. Meant to tell you, but then we had Miss Houdini here…" he jostled her playfully, grinning as she squealed with excitement. "Autumn left a note for us, it's on the bed."

He debated leaving the door open, but figured keeping her semi-contained was probably a better bet than letting her have free run of the room, considering the speed she escaped with last time. Door firmly latched, he set her down, ensuring she was more or less steady before cranking on the water. An excited squeak of glee sounded from his side, and he glanced at her, watching carefully as she cruised along, hands shuffling over each other as she navigated around the toilet to reach carefully for the lip of the tub. "Careful Kiara. You fall in here, it's gonna hurt." She turned somber grey eyes to him, and he again had the sense that she knew, and understood, exactly what he was saying. "I'm thinking bubbles tonight, how about you?" She let go of the tub, plopping neatly onto her diapered rear, and brought up her fists, scrubbing at her chest. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The shampoo doubled as awesome bubbles, and he checked the temp again as he eyed the water level. Dean bit his lip for a moment before leaning back, raising his voice a bit. "Yo, Sam!" With a careful creak of the door, Sam peered around.

"Yeah?"

"Warm or cold?" Sam blinked at him, and Dean muttered for a moment under his breath. "Autumn said that she runs warmer than a normal kid. By several degrees. I don't want to freeze her to death, but I don't wanna scald her either."

Sam furrowed his brow, eyeing the toddler. "I dunno."

"Jeez, thanks. That helps a lot."

"Just make it lukewarm. I'm pretty sure she'll holler if it's not right." Sam shrugged, watching Kiara as she made the scrubbing motions against her chest again. "What's she doing?"

"Got me. Probably just excited to get in the bath. God knows we had a helluva time keeping you outta it."

"Alright. I've got the charms up, give me a bit more, and I'll have the salt laid down. Anything else you need?" Sam bit back another yawn, and Dean smirked, reaching over to kill the flow of water from the faucet.

"Someone up past his bedtime?" His younger brother didn't deign to answer, and Dean shrugged. "Nope, we're pretty well set. You called Bobby yet?"

"No, I figured we could do that in the morning, after we've hit the road. Seemed pretty mean to call this late. Never know when he might be asleep. I'm going to finish up though. Yell if you need me." With a lazy wave of his hand, Sam disappeared behind the door again, latching it behind him, and Dean focused again on Kiara.

"He's a butt. Love him, but he's a butt."

"Butt." Dean snickered at the somber and solemn nod that accompanied the word, and shook his head.

"Okay, not a good word to teach you, I suppose. You'll have to tell him later though. First…we gotta get you in the tub!" He dipped his elbow again, and figured Sam was right…She'd fuss if it wasn't good enough. Sam's water had always been a bit cooler, but then, he didn't run a normal temp in the hundreds, either.

Kiara grasped the lip of the tub, hauling herself upright as she swayed for a moment, getting her balance before leaning over, trying to grasp the bubbles floating just out of reach. "Hang on baby girl, you gotta strip first. Then we'll play with the bubbles, okay?"

The shoes were easy, and she gleefully hurled them across the room while he tugged the tiny socks off, stacking them together and setting them on the floor. She struggled as he tried to pull off her shirt, but experience had it stretched and off before she could really start fighting and screaming, and she blinked at him in surprise when it was over so quickly. "Yeah, I've got practice with that. Didn't figure you'd like the shirt over the face anymore than Sammy did. Okay, buttons now, and then bubbles." She didn't fight at all as he laid her on the floor, unsnapping the corduroy pants quickly and efficiently before folding them with the rest of her clothes in a neat pile. He blew a raspberry on the exposed tummy as he quickly unstuck the tabs of her diaper, sliding it free with a flourish. "Ta-da! All done." She giggled madly and squirmed away from him, crawling quickly back to the tub to haul herself upright. "Yeah, yeah, hang on a second."

Diaper in the trash, towel set by his knee, and bathing supplies already in the tub, he turned back to the Loup Garou that was making frantic scrubbing motions against her chest. "Yeah, we're getting there. Up ya go." He eased her in, watching carefully for any sign that the water was too hot or too cold, but she settled in like a duck to water, kicking and splashing and squealing with the glee of innocence. "Okay girl, we're gonna do the hair first, then you can play til you're done, okay? It'll take a few minutes…if you don't fight me." She watched him fold the washcloth, eyes wary, before leaning down and grabbing a fistful of bubbles, offering them to him.

"Thanks. Doesn't change the shampoo thing though. I'll be quick, promise, then you can play until you turn into a prune. Or maybe a raisin." A dab of shampoo to the chocolate locks, and he cupped a handful of water, working the lather up easily. She didn't fight, and he was rather surprised. Or maybe it was just Sam who hated having his hair washed. Most of his child experience was limited to Sam, which did make it a bit biased, he supposed.

He filled the cup with water, keeping it out of her sight as she played. "Okay, time to howl." She watched him with a confused look on her face, and he tipped his head back, howling quietly. Kiara giggled and splashed, tipping her head back as she let loose an eerie cry. "Yeah, only not so Halloweenish." He quickly pressed the washcloth against her forehead, rinsing away the suds with the water. "One more time…big howl!" He demonstrated again, and once more, the tiny howl that broke loose from her sent goosebumps up his arms as he rinsed the last of the shampoo away.

"Yeah, that's not disturbing at all. Then again, you is a wolf, huh?" He made quick work of sopping up the worst of the water on her scalp before giving her the washcloth to play with, leaning against the tub on his hip. "Man, I'm getting too old for this."

* * *

It was fifteen minutes later that he hauled her out of the tub, sleepy but clean, and bundled her up in the thick towel. "Alright baby girl, let's get you a bottle and into bed, how's that sound?" She nodded against his throat, fist already rubbing at her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I figured."

Sam was sprawled in his bed, sweats already tugged on and television flickering, the noise a distraction while he checked his emails. Dean set Kiara on his own bed, tugging the towel tighter around her. "Stay put. I mean it." She nodded again, wobbling a bit as she rocked, and he kept one eye on her while he fished out a new diaper and rummaged through the clothes, pulling out a fleece sleeper with pawprints tumbling over the cream fabric. He held it up, and she nodded again, yawning sleepily. "Sam, can you grab one of these bottles, add water, and nuke it for me? She's not gonna last much longer."

"Sure." Kiara watched him putter around the tiny kitchen area, not paying much attention to the redressing that Dean was doing to her, other than watching carefully as he slid her feet into the footed area, wiggling her toes before letting him continue.

He was tugging the zipper up as the microwave chimed, and Sam brought the heated water over to the table, and set the formula beside it. "Isn't she a bit old for formula?"

"Not really. It's more of a comfort thing than anything else." He settled her on his hip, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder, watching quietly as he mixed in the powder and resecured the nipple, rubbing her fist against her face. "Last chance for me to get anything Sammy. I'm beat, she's beat, and I know you're not much better."

His brother shook his head from where he was buried under the blankets again. "Nah, I'm good. She sleeping with you then?"

"For now, yeah. We'll get her a crib if she throws too big a fit. Hard to tell just yet." He set the bottle on the nightstand, and with practice from too many injuries, unfastened his jeans and shucked them smoothly one-handed, his grip on Kiara not wavering in the least. He couldn't quite contain the soft groan of appreciation as the mattress gave under him, and he sighed blissfully, curling his legs under the sheets before settling Kiara beside him. "Alright…I dunno how your Mom and Dad did it, but you get to watch some television until you conk, okay kiddo?" She curled into his side, taking her bottle from him with ease before sighing heavily, eyes already at half-mast.

* * *

A little while later, Sam shut down the laptop, setting it beside the bed to charge overnight as they slept. He stretched, and turned to ask Dean if he was ready for sleep, when the image presented to him made him long for a camera.

Dean was out, head tipped down, soft snores already breaking the quiet. His arm was wrapped tightly around Kiara, who was half in his lap, chubby fist curled against Dean's amulet, bottle long since discarded as she dreamt. He shook his head, climbing out of his warm nest to shake his brother's shoulder.

He jerked awake, instantly tense, and Sam squeezed his shoulder. "It's okay man. You wanna lay down, before you get a crink in your neck?" Dean nodded sliding down into the bed bonelessly, tugging the toddler closer to him before started to doze off again. Sam patted his shoulder and checked the locks again since he was up, dumping the remaining formula down the sink and filling the bottle to soak overnight. He flipped off the light as he crawled back into bed, yawning largely into the dark.  
***********************  



	5. Chapter 5

_I had some problems with Ms. Kiara. She wanted a voice in the story, I said not yet, she threw a temper-tantrum. So yeah. You can see who won. Anyway, as usual, reviews are like life-blood, and I adore each one. Seriously. I keep 'em all in a file. ^_^ Usual warnings apply... Beyond that...ouhm, yeah. On we go!_ __

* * *

Kiara woke slowly, things not like they were supposed to be, and she whimpered softly in confusion as sleep slid away, the arm over her too heavy and too big to be anyone but a grown up. She finally managed to blink open her eyes, and as she saw the man who had been in the living room with Autumn, and the memories trickled back in her mind as it woke up too.

But the pressure in her belly said she needed to wake up _now_ , and go water some trees. She squirmed, and the man (Dean, her mind thought), tightened his arm around her a bit, thumb stroking her spine slowly. Her wolf could slide out of his arm, but she remembered his loud tone last night, the anger he had. Maybe he was one of those that wasn't supposed to see her wolf, like Mommy told her? The other man had liked her wolf…maybe he would let her out? She had the stupid diaper on, but her wolf said use that only if she had no choice…it was wrong to water in the den.

Her belly twitched again, warning her, and she scrambled over the edge of the bed, shifting as soon as her feet hit the floor, and dashed under the bed to the other side, where the other man (Sammy, she thought) had an arm draped over the edge.

* * *

Sam jerked awake abruptly as he felt something furry rub against his partly-numb hand, followed quickly by a freaking cold, wet nose. With a muttered curse, he yanked his hand back, trying to remind himself that rats wouldn't nose his hand…they wouldn't. He tried to get his eyes to focus in the dark, and he saw a blond swirl rise out of the darkness. A moment or two later, and he could make out the fuzzy shape of Kiara, who was dancing impatiently and stretching up against his bed. A glance over, and he could see the lump that was Dean, buried under the blankets. "Hey kiddo, want up?" he whispered, leaning over to grab her. She danced away from his fingers, dashing to the foot of the bed before coming back, starting the stretching again. Shrugging, he slid out of the warm nest, and stood, popping his back as he yawned. She took off to the door, pawing at it softly while giving him the most pitiful gaze he'd ever seen.

If his 'puppy eyes' came anywhere near that pitiful, no wonder it could make Dean cave at the best of times.

"Ah." He palmed the pistol that lay on the nightstand, slipping it casually into the waistband of his sweats before following the puppy to the door. He hadn't even cleared the foot of his brother's bed before Dean jerked awake, hair looking like a flattened porcupine, eyes still unfocused with sleep, but body tense and alert, hand under the pillow. "It's okay, just letting Kiara out."

Dean sat up a bit further, scrubbing a hand against his face. "You packed?" His voice sounded like gravel, and he looked miserable in the soft moonlight.

"Yeah. We'll be quick. Go back to sleep." Dean nodded, still blinking hard as he watched them slip out the door. "Hey. Don't get out of sight, you hear me? Stay where I can see you. Otherwise, you'll get leashed next time." Kiara sneezed, and quickly trotted to the small strip of grass just past the parking lot, eyeing him for a moment before slipping a little behind a rock. He could still see her tail, so he didn't push it, and after a few moments, she came tearing back towards him.

"Good girl." He crouched to scratch behind her ear for a moment, chuckling as she leaned heavily into it. "Come on, back inside." He bit back a yawn as he pushed the door open, muttering. "Too damn early."

He wasn't surprised to see Dean still up, knowing his brother wouldn't have relaxed until they were both back in and the door latched and locked. Sam almost expected her to stumble back into his bed, but a flash of light, and Dean's gravel voice implied otherwise. "You want up kiddo?" The toddler nodded, arms stretched as far as she could, and he hauled her up into the bed, helping her under the covers.

He set the pistol on the night stand again, watching to make sure they were settled again. "Alright, everyone back to sleep," Sam murmured, crawling back into his own bed, sighing gratefully when he realized the sheets were still warm. He wasn't 100% sure what time it was, but considering the moon was still out, it was too early for him. He listened for a few minutes, to make sure Kiara wasn't going to pull another disappearing act, but it wasn't long before the breathing from the other bed evened back out in sleep, and he drifted off again, letting the darkness wash over him.

* * *

The first time Dean woke, it was only a little after Sam had woken him to get him to lie down, rather than crooked against the headboard. Kiara was panting in her sleep, small features twisting as she whined softly. He tugged her in closer, nestling her against him as he shushed her softly, and after a few heartbeats, she relaxed, muttering wordlessly as she slid deeper into sleep.

She woke him up twice more, and each time, it was a simple matter of pulling her back against him from where she had squirmed away.

The fourth time he woke, something other than her murmurs had woken him. Something had tripped his inner alarm, and he had a flash of panic as his arm tightened around nothing but air as he tried to slide Kiara behind him.

His brother's voice pulled his attention away from the lack of toddler; "It's okay, just letting Kiara out." The words trickled in, and he relaxed, scrubbing his face as he tried to push away the lingering adrenaline. He hadn't lost her, Sam wasn't in danger…the thought tickled, reminding him of the Hunters that may or may not be following them.

"You packed?" He meant for that to be packing, but sleep was still tripping his tongue. He caught the glint of silver flashing from the space between Sam's sweats and his shirt, just as the verbal confirmation registered, and he nodded, trying to get neurons to fire somewhat properly.

He glanced at his watch, noting it wasn't even two am yet, and his sleep was already crap. He slumped, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes wearily, and kept a keen ear on the door. It wasn't but a few minutes before he heard Sam's voice again, and the door opened, letting one puppy and one Sasquatch in, and he smiled as Kiara came tearing over to him, shifting in a flash of light as she stretched towards him, arms up in the classic demand of 'up, now!' "You want up kiddo?" She nodded hard, stretching up against the bed, and he hauled her up easily, keeping an eye on his brother as Sam set the pistol on the night stand, back in the corner away from small fingers.

Kiara sighed contently against his side, and he relaxed in the covers, sliding down until he was more comfortable, and after a few moments of adjustments, both man and child were settled in, and he wrapped his arm around her, tucking her against him. She was already going limp, breaths deep and steady as she tumbled into sleep. Hopefully, she'd stay there for awhile.

When he woke the fifth, and final time, it was bit by bit, a slow surface to consciousness. Golden light streamed through the windows, peeking around the curtains that were drawn, and filled the room with enough liquid warmth to illuminate Sam, burrowed into a mound of blankets and pillows. Kiara was a warm, heavy weight on his chest, one chubby hand twisted into the thong of his amulet, the other fisted limply against her mouth. He dozed for a bit, not really awake, but not sleeping either, just drifting in the warm quiet. He could feel Kiara dreaming, muscles tensing and twitching faintly in her sleep, and he fought back a chuckle.

A rustling noise from the other bed pulled him from relaxed drowsing, and he watched Sam flop and squirm until he was stretched out on his belly, head burrowed under the pillows as he muttered in his sleep. Apparently, his brother wasn't going to be the early riser today. Dean stretched gingerly, mindful of both the baby and the stitches in his shoulder from the last hunt, and idly realized that he was more awake. A glance at the golden rays streaming in, and he realized he'd dozed off again for a good amount of time.

A glance at his watch showed the time just before five, and he yawned, shaking off the last dredges of sleep. A careful and practiced twist, and he slid Kiara down into the warm imprint his body had left on the mattress, and boxed her in with the pillows, grabbing his knife and tucking it into his duffle as he passed, trading the metal for clothes, and ducked into a fast shower, leaving the door open so he could hear the kid.

He was swiping the gel through his hair when Sam stumbled in, jolting abruptly upon seeing Dean, and blinked hard. "Hey. It's all yours, just finishing up." Sam nodded, and they traded places, Sam slipping into the hot and humid bathroom as Dean shivered briefly in the cooler bedroom air. He tossed on his leather jacket, and stuffed the rest of his belongings into his duffle before tidying up.

Kiara was still curled up in the trap of pillows, and he shook his head in amusement before digging through her own bag, grabbing clothes that should work, provided the temp didn't drop insanely before they hit Bobby's. Sam plopped into the chair beside Dean, and scrubbed a hand through his hair, yawning hugely. "I'm gonna run in town, grab a few things we'll probably need before we hit the road. Think you can keep an eye on her, maybe get her dressed before I get back? Shouldn't really be gone much longer than fifteen, twenty minutes, tops."

"Yeah." Sam eyed the bed, then Dean. "Is she going to need fed first?"

Dean shrugged. "If she's hungry, she'll let us know. She may be able to hold off until we hit the diner…depends on how early you get her up." He grabbed the keys for the Impala, and loaded up while Sam tried to wake up. "Seriously man, twenty minutes. Just, don't kill her in that time frame, and you're good. You can even hold off dressing her until I get back, if she scares you that bad. It's not rocket science though," Dean teased, popping the collar on his jacket before ducking the towel that came firing his way.

* * *

It was just over fifteen minutes when he pulled the Impala back in front of their room, killing the growl of the engine as he tossed the bags from the front seat to the back. His own stomach was growling almost as loud, and he ruefully regretted taking the trip prior to breakfast. He slid the keys in, hoping that Sam was done with his shower and they could hurry up and get the hell outta here. Bobby's wasn't that far out, but the nagging sense of something wrong probably wouldn't let up until they were bunked in the only safe spot he knew.

He was latching the door when something child-sized slammed into the back of his knees, shaking hard. He glanced down, and knelt in front of Kiara, gagging briefly as she nearly choked him with the grip she had. "Hey, what's wrong?" She wasn't verbally crying, but tears were streaming down her face, eyes red and swollen, the blotches on her cheeks saying the crying wasn't new. She was shaking hard, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. There was water running in the shower, and the sound of it falling implied a body in the way, but for Kiara to be this upset…

"Sam?"

"Yeah?" The word was muffled through the door, and Dean growled softly, shaking his head as he stood. Kiara panted rapid sobs against his throat, still shaking like a leaf, and he tugged the edge of his jacket around her, wrapping her tightly as he swayed a bit.

"Shh, I gotcha baby. It's okay, I'll kick his ass in a minute. You're alright now." He felt the hot tears soaking into his shirt collar, and he sat on the edge of his bed, rearranging his cargo so he could hug her easier. "I know baby. You're okay." He rocked her as he glared at the door, counting down silently when he heard the water cut off.

Sam opened the bathroom door, freezing at the hard green gaze that pinned him. "What's the matter, Dean?"

"How long were you in the shower?"

He shrugged, shifting his shirt from where it stuck to damp skin. "I don't know, maybe, ten minutes?" His gaze flickered to Kiara, and he leaned forward, frowning. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"Why'd you leave the door shut?" Kiara snuffled wetly, and Dean leaned back to glance at her, not surprised when she wouldn't pull away from him.

"Because I was showering? She was still asleep, I made sure everything was picked up that could hurt her…" Sam crouched down at Dean's knee, hovering. "What happened?"

"She woke up alone."

"So?"

Dean huffed, and the baby snuffled again, pulling away to rub at wet eyes. "So, her entire family disappeared, and she woke up with two complete strangers that are dragging her across the country. What do you think happened when she woke up all alone, in an empty motel room? Why didn't you leave the door open? She could have at least known she hadn't been abandoned."

Sam shifted awkwardly, eyes dropping. "She's a little girl…I didn't want to give her an accidental peep show. I figured it best to keep the door shut."

"Dude, she's a baby. She wouldn't have known. Explains why you're dressed already though." Kiara patted his cheek, and he turned his attention back on her. "You okay now sweetheart?" She nodded, still snuffling, and squirmed, and he let her slide down to the floor, static crackling as the fleece sleeper slid against the polyester bedspread.

She toddled carefully over to Sam, and bracing herself against his knee, gazed very solemnly into his hazel eyes. "Butt."  
*************  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Aside from hovering closely to Dean, or Sam when the eldest handed her off, Kiara didn't seem to suffer any major trauma from her morning fiasco. Considering the panic she had displayed when he returned, Dean couldn't really blame her for the clinging, though it did make packing up the rest of the motel room a bit awkward.

Freshly changed into pink jeans, a white tee and a pink plaid button up over top and silvery, glitter sneakers Velcroed in place, she clung with a fist wrapped in either Sam's jeans or Dean's, slowing them as she stumbled along beside them. Sam at one point had hauled her up onto his hip, only to quickly put her back down as she kicked sharply, tiny sneakers pounding into his thighs hard. She glared at him before snagging Dean's leg as he passed again, her bag tossed over his shoulder as he tried to wrestle the cooler out the door.

"Kiara, baby, you can't. I'm gonna trip. Sam, grab her."

"She'll kick."

"So? Put her ass in the car, I'll be done in a minute. Just got this load, the med kit, and a quick walk-through." Sam snorted sharply, grabbing the med kit, dropping it on top of the cooler before scooping up the toddler again. "Hey, I am not a pack mule!"

"I'm hungry. She's hungry. You're hungry. Get that in the car, we'll check." Dean glared in response but continued his trip to the black classic, and Sam sighed as Kiara started keening the second Dean was out the door. "Hang on. He'll be back. Just gotta make sure we didn't leave anything." Sure enough, her tiny jean jacket was on the seat of a chair, and he plucked it as he tossed the room keys on the table.

"Din." Her grey eyes were still locked on the door, rocking anxiously as Dean stayed out of sight, settling the cooler on the floorboards behind Sam's seat. "Din."

"Alright, hang on." He glanced over the room one last time.

"Din."

"I know. Hang on." Did Dean grab his gel? Better check.

"Din."

"Yeah, got the memo." He didn't. Sam made his way to the door.

"Din."

"Jeez." He latched the door, not surprised when the kid tried to launch herself across his shoulder.

"Din."

"Here." He plopped her in Dean's arms, not even grinning at his brother's confused look, before settling into the Impala.

It was going to be a really long drive.

* * *

The diner was an unremarkable event, even though Sam had already braced himself for a horrible experience. In his highly overactive mind, he saw her freaking out randomly and shifting in the middle of a crowded breakfast rush, panicked patrons holding her hostage while officials were called, breaking her out of a research facility and just continued to delve down that path darkly.

Dean had dug through the diaper bag, muttering until he found the set of baby utensils wrapped up in a bib amid the clothes, and tucked the package into an inner pocket of his jacket along the lock-picks. "Knew she'd have 'em in here somewhere," he explained, hitching Kiara up on his hip and not seeming to notice as she nestled her head on his shoulder, grey eyes wide as she took in the surroundings. She had clung to his jacket on the short trip, keening sharply and anxiously whenever they tried to tug Dean free.

The first waitress had, at first, eyes only for the man and the baby he was holding, cooing at her softly and giggling as the toddler buried her face in Dean's shoulder, whimpering. "Oh, she's shy! And so pretty! Must take after her Daddy!" She had winked at Dean, turning to Sam, and there was a moment of bafflement when the woman she was obviously expecting wasn't there. Wide eyes had glanced quickly between the two men before stammering an excuse about getting a high chair, and Dean cocked a brow as she took off.

Neither were really surprised when it was a different waitress that brought the varnished wood seat, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening as she grinned at them. "So sorry about that boys, but the manager decided Lily had too many tables, so I'll be helping you boys today. Name's Rosemary. What can I be getting you?" Her accent was faintly Irish, and Sam had relaxed tense shoulders as Kiara peered at her briefly before squirming in Dean's lap.

"Coffee for us, juice for Kiara there please." She turned a warm smile onto Sam, jotting briefly on her notepad.

"Orange, apple, grape and guava-pineapple-mango."

Sam shot Dean a wide-eyed look, asking his opinion, and Rosemary laughed softly, shaking fading red hair. "I'd go with the apple, young as she is. Not as sharp as the grape or orange, and Heaven's knows what she's allergic to. Best not to find out over eggs, eh?"

"That'll be fine, thanks." She nodded sharply as she jotted a last note, tapping her pen on the pad.

"You boys ready to order, or you need a minute?" She held a foot absently on the high chair as Dean tried to wrestle Kiara into it, steading it.

"Um, I think we need a minute." Watching Kiara dive out of the chair and back into Dean's lap, Sam nodded. "Yeah, we're gonna need a minute more."

Rosemary's laugh was warm, and she clucked her tongue fondly at the toddler. "Methinks you won't be needing the chair, eh?"

Dean eyed the baby that could barely glance over the table, but seemed much more content than in the seat. "Yeah, I don't think we'll be needing that."

* * *

Rosemary had brought Kiara's juice in a heavy coffee mug with their own coffees, explaining regretfully that they didn't have sippy cups. Kiara didn't seem to mind, wrapping chubby hands around the mug as Dean held it for her, slurping carefully before chomping on her lip as she watched him set it well out of her reach.

Sam couldn't help but notice that Dean's entire body language was tuned into the toddler nomming on the pancake she had stolen off Dean's plate, the toast she had snagged from Sam, and the occasional whimper for a sip of the apple juice that was just out of her grasp. The older Winchester occasionally glanced on her, but his eyes flickered more frequently to the door, and to the road trailing past, than to the baby, even as he held up a steady conversation. Her bib was covered in crumbs and more than a little slobber, especially when she traded the fist of pancake for the fist of toast, working it into the back of her jaws to gnaw on it.

She looked disturbingly like a puppy with a bone when she did that.

"So, when we gonna call Bobby and let him know where we are?" Sam asked, sipping his refilled coffee as he tried to bury a grin at Dean trying to dodge Kiara and her offerings of toast to him.

"No, that's yours. I had mine."

She thrust the clenched fist of toast closer, chin stubborn as she grunted demandingly. Dean sighed, eyeing her other fist of pancake. "You all done then?" She nodded once, sharply, and he rolled his eyes, grabbing a napkin to clean off her fist. She growled low and offered the toast again, squealing gleefully as he made gobbling noises as he snatched it out of her fist, mouthing her fist along with the dried bread. Green eyes reluctantly lifted, warning and amusement glimmering as they met hazel, and Sam hid the smirk behind another quick gulp of coffee. "I'll get her cleaned up and back in the car, if you'll settle up the bill. I'll call Bobby if I can get her in the car quick enough, or you can from the road. Picked up some pretty steaks, offer those up as bribes."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Dean startled at the sound of his phone going off, but he didn't jostle his load. He felt a zing of pride at that, and settled her on the seat of the Impala, perching lightly on the edge to keep her corralled in. Bobby's name was flashing across the screen, and he flipped it open. "Think of the devil…"

"Where you boys at?"

Dean glanced around, reciting off the name of the stretch of tarmac and the nearest mile marker he could see. "What's going on?"

"How quick can you get here?" Bobby's voice was gruffer than normal, and Dean tensed, ears keen for any background noise. Kiara seemed to know something was up, her grey eyes dark and somber as she watched him silently.

"Actually, we were headed your way anyway. Got a bit of trouble tailing us."

Bobby's voice was dark as he replied. "Yeah, I know. How quick?"

"I'm guessing about five, maybe six. How'd you find out?" Dean licked his lip, trying to not chew on it as he cast an emerald gaze around carefully. He tipped his head as Sam came out, wind catching the long locks and covering worried hazel eyes.

"Get here quicker, if you can. Be careful boy." Bobby didn't even say goodbye, and Dean stared at the phone that was buzzing a dial tone at him.

He disconnected the call on his end, and cast worried eyes to Sam. "Everything okay?"

Dean eyed the clouds, slipping the phone into his pocket as he twitched his shoulder. The feeling of something not right was settling heavier on him, and he frowned. "Not sure. I don't think so. Bobby said he knew we had trouble on our tails, and to hurry. He didn't sound right."

Sam didn't hesitate, just slid into the Impala, settling Kiara on his lap as Dean slid in on his side. "Then let's go."

* * *

The cereal circles amused Kiara for a few miles, caught between chasing them around the bowl that held them, and then later, sitting between Sam's feet, building odd and trailing patterns on the floor of the Impala as she tugged at her ear idly.

Dean was a bundle of nervous energy, eyes flickering between the darkening skies ahead, and the twisting blacktop trailing out behind them. Sam said nothing, watching over the two as best he could, biting his tongue when his brother started fidgeting with the heavy silver ring. Metallica pumped from the speakers, but neither brother sang along, the music not easing the furrows of Dean's brow at all.

It was quickly discovered, they could travel about two hours before Kiara started fussing, could extend it to three if they had to, before she started driving them quietly crazy. She didn't scream, didn't wail, didn't howl. Just whined soft and low, leaning more towards keening the longer they waited. By the three hour marker, she was rocking hard on the floorboards, keening whenever one touched her, glowing softly as she flickered. When Dean's gaze landed on her, he wasted no time in sliding the Impala into the next spot he saw, letting the engine die out.

Kiara shifted in a blink, her button-up and jacket falling to the floor at Sam's feet. "Okay, so she can't change that many clothes. Good to know."

Ten minutes of running hard, and she panted her way back to the car, clambering back in awkwardly. She waited until they were up to speed again before scrambling into the seat, scooting up against Dean, watching him carefully. When he didn't say anything, she carefully tugged on his elbow, waiting until he lifted it to curl up under it, head on his thigh as she buried her face into his jacket. He dropped his arm, the sleeve covering her almost like a blanket, and in a few moments, she was out.

Sam's voice was pitched low, but still caused both to jump when he cleared his throat. "Any idea what's going on with Bobby?"

"Not a clue." Dean shook his head, cast his eyes to the rear-view mirror. "I'm hoping it's nothing major. He didn't say it was, just said he knew we had trouble." He shrugged. "We'll find out when we get there, I suppose."

* * *

Kiara woke once more before they decided to pull off for lunch, the boys wolfing down a quick meal. She turned away from any offerings of food, choosing instead to keep her head buried against Dean's chest as he ate. He kept a hand cupped around her neck, frowning at the heat radiating off of her.

When they made it back to the Impala, he dug in the med kit for a moment, pulling out the thermometer, and chewing his lip as he read the digits. "102 kiddo. That's borderline for what Autumn said." She snuffled, pulling her ear as she watched Sam stretch against the car. "Tell you what. We'll take off the jacket, and see if you cool down, okay?"

He had Sam hold her while he fixed up a quick bottle, using the bottled water out of the cooler. He hoped she wouldn't mind the cooler temp of the formula, and after a few awkward starts, she settled in against his little brother, eyes fading as she struggled to stay awake to finish the formula. Dean kept a wary eye on them as he pressed the accelerator a bit harder than they would normally, making sure Sam had a grip on the situation.

He flicked a gaze over them as Sam rearranged his sleeping burden, settling the half drank bottle between the seat and the door. "Don't let that spill in here. You have any idea how hard it is to get milk out of the upholstery?"

"It won't." Sam leaned his head back against the headrest, rolling his neck as he closed his eyes. "How much longer?"

"If we stop for her to have crazies, about another 2 hours. If we can keep her down, and hope like hell there's no cops in between here and there, I can shave it down to an hour." He glanced over at them, eyes warming as they rested on the puppy. "She okay?"

"A little warm, but not too bad."

"Keep an eye on her. If we see cops, think you can get her to change?"

Sam nodded, eyes back out over the horizon. "Yeah." In the quiet that descended on the Impala, Dean couldn't help but notice the classic seemed….pleased, at the young cargo they were hauling cross-country. ' _I know.'_

* * *

Sam and Dean both sighed a breath of relief as the sign for Singer Salvage glimmered into view, and the change of atmosphere seemed to stir Kiara. Blinking sleepily at Sam, she twisted, double checking to make sure Dean was still there, and seemed content to just lay against the warmth holding her. Rove barked loudly from around the house as they pulled past, slipping past to hide the Impala among the junked cars.

That was the only problem with his baby, Dean would admit. She was rather…recognizable. Thankfully, from the cars and the distance, anyone driving past shouldn't be able to see her. He killed the engine, chuckling as Kiara took the quiet as permission to launch herself back into his arms, and he settled her on his hip as he slid out. The heat radiating off her meant drops as soon as they got settled, but then the breeze slid across the hood of the Impala. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he let the feel of the only four-walled home he knew slide over him, and felt the last of the tension knotting his shoulders slide away.

The house was in sight, and Bobby had just opened the door, letting his mastiff/rott mix out, and Rove came barreling at his two buddies, when Kiara seemed to notice the other canine.

With a hellious snarl, she slid out of Dean's grip, shifting midair, landing on four paws instead of two feet. Her chocolate fur was raised from between her ears (and Sam couldn't help but notice that her right one was cocked halfway) to the edge of her stiff tail, and while she was between Dean's feet, the growls and snarls rising from her had the much bigger Rove sliding to a stop, confusion on his face.

Dean was expecting any range of reaction from Bobby, but the slump of his shoulders and the sorrow in his eyes was not one of them. Dean exchanged a worried glance with Sam when Bobby rubbed a hand across his face, shaking his head "Well, that explains a lot. Rove, get over here and leave that pup alone. She don't need you bothering her. Boys, you better get inside before this storm lets loose."  
**************  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Dean slid his hands under Kiara, picking up a still snapping puppy, and wasn't surprised when he wound up with a glaring toddler half under his jacket. Thunder growled low overhead, and Kiara flinched, burrowing her face against Dean's side as she whimpered. Sam offered to take her with a wordless glance, and just as quickly, Dean declined, turning his attention to the Hunter he respects as much as his own father.

"She's not a werewolf, Bobby."

Bobby's snort was obvious even over the second rumble of thunder, and Dean relaxed again as Bobby shook his head. "Just get in here before that storm busts loose boys. Unless you all want to catch your death of pneumonia out there."

Sam grabbed their bags while Dean juggled Kiara and the dog that's still anxiously prancing around him, until Bobby physically hauled Rove off. In the short time between Dean getting in the door, and Sam a few moments later, the rain had started pounding the house, and Sam was soaked, looking a bit like a drowned rat as he shed the bags. "Little wet there Sammy?"

Sam's glare was totally worth it, and with a sarcastic twist of his mouth, he held up his hands, forefinger and thumb just barely apart. "Little bit." His eyes dropped to Kiara, who was still burrowed against Dean's side. "How's she doing?"

Bobby's return, with three longnecks in his grasp, was a welcome distraction, and he tossed a towel to Sam, who scrubbed it roughly though his hair. "Thanks Bobby."

"Well, if you two idjits had gotten in here the first time I told you, you wouldn't have gotten soaked, now would you?" Bobby didn't waste time, just flopped into his armchair, and kicked his feet out, crossing the ankles. "So, mind telling me what you two boys are doing with a loup garou puppy?"

Sam just settled on the floor, resting an elbow on the coffeetable as he took a sip of the beer, rolling it on his tongue to keep from having to answer. Dean glared, on to Sam's tricks, but settled Kiara better as he settled on the couch awkwardly. "What all do you know?"

"Tell me your side first, and then I'll fill in the blanks."

Dean quirked a grin. "Fair enough." He took a gulp of his drink, trying to settle his thoughts in order, and tried to shift Kiara again, sighing as she whimpered and burrowed further under his arm. "Just finished a hunt in Oklahoma, was headed up to Illinois, heard some rumors of a poltergeist up there, when Autumn called. Asked how close we were, wanted us to swing by as quick as we could. She said something about calling you?" Bobby nodded, eyes dark, and Dean carried on. "Got there about ten last night. Said that some Hunters had killed the pack down there, and she still had Kiara here. Wanted to know, could we take her up to either Maine or Washington. I dunno, guess her grandparents are there? We agreed, Autumn said the Hunters may come after her, and we hauled ass outta there. Crashed just outside the area last night, and haven't really stopped yet today. That's it so far."

Bobby's voice was rough as he scrubbed a hand over his face, settling his pig hat a little firmer as he eyed the two boys. "Damnit."

"What?" Dean's arm tightened around Kiara, frame tense again as he warily watched the older Hunter. He trusted Bobby with his life, hell, with Sam's life. But this wasn't normal for Bobby.

"I ain't gonna hurt her, boy. Never hurt you or your brother, ain't likely to start now." Bobby leaned forward, set his elbows on his knees as his eyes traced the pattern on the rug. "Autumn did call me, I missed it though. Was headed back from a windigo up North. Figured I'd call her back today, but her brother called me first. You boys know her brother, right?"

Sam nodded, thumb playing idly with the label on the bottle. "He was a paramedic, right?"

"Sorta. Paramedic come firefighter down there. He uh, got a call, real early this morning. Neighbors said Autumn's place was lit up, could see it for miles. With all the fire charms that girl had there, no doubt he didn't really believe 'em. But he warned me, have all the Hunters in the area stay outta that region, for a damned good long time." He scrubbed a hand over his forehead, rubbing roughly. "Best he could figure, there were three Hunters up there. Said he'd call when he knew more."

"Best as they can figure?" Sam's voice was curious but low. "Why not ask Autumn?"

Bobby huffed. "Autumn's dead. He uh, he found her in the barn, tied up. Looks like they tried to burn her alive. They're not really sure how many there were. Apparently, the ghosts up there didn't take kindly to Autumn being killed." He swallowed hard, took a long swallow of beer. "Biggest they've found of any of them was a ring finger. Damned ghosts tore the bastards apart."

Dean flinched from the sharp edge of sorrow that flashed through him, and surreptitiously hugged Kiara closer. "How'd they get past her guard lions? Those damned stone things in the drive? She always said those protected the property."

"They're shattered. Don said they might be able to put them back together, but he's not even sure if he wants to, let alone if it would restore them." Bobby pulled another long swallow, and shook his head. "I gotta call him back later."

"Why?"

"Cameras caught a black classic Impala leaving, about a half-hour before the call came through. Best they've been able to figure, the barn had been going for about fifteen, twenty minutes before they got the call about it."

Sam sighed. "They hit right after we left."

"Don didn't think it was you two, but you have to admit, the timing was rather…good. Or, bad, I suppose." He eyed the toddler that was burrowed into Dean's side, and shook his head. "Whatcha gonna do with her?"

Dean huffed a wry snort, tried to not notice how shaky his inhale was. "Not much we _can_ do, other than get her where she belongs." He closed his eyes, cracking his neck as he asked nonchalantly. "Don say if she suffered at all?"

Sam's voice was husky from his spot on the floor, hazel eyes never glancing up from the floor. "Smoke inhalation usually kills before the flames do. Might have felt burning on her feet, but that would have been it."

Neither Hunter wanted to say anything after that, and the silence pressed hard, until Bobby cleared his throat gruffly. "You boys probably better bring in the rest of your stuff, before the storm really gets going. Supposed to storm all night, clear out early morning."

Thankful for the distraction, both stood and nodded, and Sam waited in the doorway while Dean tried to pry Kiara from his side, while she clung and keened as he tugged. "Kiara, come on now. Stop it."

Bobby watched for several minutes before shaking his head. "You get her loose, hand her over."

Dean snorted sharply. "Can't you just take her?"

"Trust me, you'll want to hand her over. Ever hear her scream? Trust me, it ain't pretty."

"She'll scream regardless." He tugged again, growling low. "Damnit Kiara." She whimpered, and Dean closed his eyes, sighing hard. "Kid, let go. I'm not going anywhere, but this clinging act is getting old. Let go."

It took a few minutes, but Dean managed to get her loose, handing her roughly to Bobby. She whimpered, stretching out towards him. "Din."

The soft cry froze him, and he wavered, suddenly not sure it was a good idea. "Dean." Bobby's gruff voice broke his attention, and he raised his eyes to Bobby's. "Go get in a shower. Sam will get the bags, I'll have him start up the grill, we'll get supper going."

"Bobby…" Kiara leaned towards him, tears welling as she chanted her version of his name over and over. "I can't…"

"Trust me. She'll stop when you're out of view. You're hot, she's cranky, you've both had a long day. Go on. Have a little Dean-time, get a breather. Haven't run hot water since you called, should be plenty. We got this under control." Bobby's voice was kind, but solid enough to forestall any argument, and Dean nodded, swallowing hard. "Go on boy."

As soon as he cleared the hallway door, Kiara started crying, loud and hard. " _DIN!"_ He froze, struggling not to turn back.

"Dean, keep going. She'll stop in a minute. Longer you stay there, longer she'll keep crying."

He knew, logically and in his gut, that Bobby would never hurt her. Remembered Sam doing the same thing the few times John left them with someone, on his longer hunts. The Impala wasn't always even out of sight by the time Sammy stopped. But the panicked tone, the underlying 'don't leave me'…that was hard. Really hard to walk away from. He grit his teeth, tromping heavily up the stairs, the tugging sensation easing a little as the distance lessened the volume of her crying. ' _Bobby's got her. He won't let her get hurt. It's just a few minutes. Sam will be back, she'll stop.'_

So why did it feel like he'd left his heart down there?

* * *

Bobby listened with a keen ear over the kid's wailing, and the boy hadn't even hit the bedroom before she stopped, sniffling hard while she muttered low. "Yeah, I know. He'll be back though." She peered up at him, tugging on her ear while she cocked her head, and he slipped a careful finger just under her ear, not surprised when she yelped and jerked away, rubbing her ear harder. "Yeah, what I figured kid. No wonder you're cranky. Come on." He swung her up and over his shoulders, grinning as she clutched onto his hat and giggled.

Didn't take long at all to find the dropper, fill it with the oil, and microwave it with a hot water bottle. Sam had come back in, pausing in the doorway, and Bobby didn't even turn around, refusing to acknowledge the heat rising in his face. "Get started on those coals, if you don't mind. Dean's up showering."

"Okay." He felt Sam linger another moment, but by the time the microwave was done, the youngest Winchester had left again, and Bobby was free to tickle the small feet he held.

"Aight pup, let's get you taken care of, huh?" He let Rove out, pushing the dog onto the porch with a carefully placed foot when the mutt didn't really want to leave his newest 'toy', and settled her on the couch. She peered at him, and jabbed her two forefingers together, frowning as she tugged her ear. "Yeah, I know. Gonna make it feel better." He held up the dropper, and she eyed it like it was a knife, so he held out the hot water bottle for her. She hugged it close, and laid down, so he carefully flipped her around, getting two drops of the oil in her ear before bucked. He let her go, and she froze, wiggling her ear as she laid back down. "Yeah, feels good, don't it. Put this here…" He tugged the bottle loose from her, settling it on her ear, and she sighed, slumping into the cushions. "Thought so. You just take it easy pup."

* * *

Bobby was carefully feeding wood to the fire he'd started in the fireplace when Dean came down, hair still dark and wet, jeans slung low on his hips. He had two shirts in his hand, rather than actually on, and he was glancing around. "Where's Sam?"

"Out doin the grill." Bobby sat back on his heels, raising a brow. "There a reason you're only half-dressed?"

Dean shrugged casually, shoulder twitching. "Just want him to look at these stitches. They don't feel right. She okay?"

Bobby's eyes drifted to the couch, where Kiara was dozing, burrowing against the couch cushions as she slept. "Yeah, she's fine. Told you she'd settle down. Don't even think you were in the bathroom before she quieted. Little ear infection is all. C'mere."

Dean offered his shoulder, watching the toddler. "Wonder if that's why she was having a temp."

"Yup. When did you boys put these in?" Dean tried to glance over his shoulder, frowning.

"Just before we got Kiara…" He closed his eyes, counting back the hours. "Maybe, 24 hours?"

"You sure 'bout that?"

"Yeah, why? What's wrong with them?" Sam came through the door, shaking his head like an overgrown shag dog, and raised a brow at the both of them.

"Sam, when did put these sutures in?"

"Just before Autumn called, why?" He came around, and prodded at them curiously. "What the hell?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Is there a reason we're poking my shoulder all curious-like?" Dean snarked.

"Dude, they're healed. Like, shoulda come out days ago healed."

"Not possible. You put them in like, not even a day ago. They can't be that healed." Dean twisted again, trying to glance over his shoulder, and twitched as he saw Sam grab the small scissors. "You're serious."

"Yeah." Sam snipped the first one, tugging it loose, and smirked as Dean yelped. "Told you. Skin's healing and attaching _to_ them. They gotta come out."

Sixteen snips later, and Dean felt across the site, frowning. "There's no way those should have healed that quick." Hazel eyes met disbelieving green, and Sam shrugged. "Sammy, you don't put stitches in recklessly. That was a serious gash, shoulda taken over a week for them to come out. Not twenty-four hours."

"I know. But it's healed, even below the skin." Sam shrugged tossing the small handful of threads as he passed the trashcan, and went to wash up before checking the steaks again.  
*****************  
  



	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't much longer before Sam came back in, steaks stacked on a plate as he maneuvered his way into the kitchen. Kiara pushed herself upright, nose up in the air as she snuffled, confused. "Hey baby girl, you awake now?"

Dean smiled as she nodded sleepily and held up her arms, wordlessly demanding to be picked up. "Alright, up we go." He settled her on his hip, pressing a kiss to her forehead briefly. "Hey, your fever's down. You feelin better now?" She nodded, burrowing her head under his chin as he followed Bobby into the kitchen. "Damn Sam, you cook those enough?"

His brother tossed a smirk at him as he fished through the fridge for the salad that was tucked away somewhere. "If you listen closely, it might still moo."

"Moo." Dean glanced down as Kiara put a fist, little thumb out, and twisted it by her temple.

"Yeah kiddo, that's a cow that moos. Good job." Bobby ruffled her hair as he moved past Dean, rummaging in the drawer for the steak knives. He didn't catch the stares from the boys until he looked up at the quiet. "What?"

"What was that?" Sam set the salad bag on the table, eyes curious as he watched the older Hunter.

"What was what? She was talking about cows."

Sam huffed a laugh. "Dean, you hear her say anything about cows?"

"Nope. Just a moo."

Kiara did the motion again, giggling as she mooed.

"See?" Bobby deftly snatched the toddler from Dean, blowing a raspberry on the belly as he dangled her up in the air. "Moo baby!" She squealed as she kicked, and Bobby plopped her down on his knee as he sat. "Sam, grab that package of ground beef outta the drawer."

Dean sat down, cocking an elbow over the back of his chair. "And how, exactly, does that translate to a cow?"

"Ah, Autumn didn't tell you boys, did she?" He chuckled a little, and turned back to the toddler, cupping his hand into a C shape as he dragged it down his chest. Kiara nodded hard, bouncing. "She knows sign language. Well, some of it, she is a baby after all."

Sam set the package by Bobby's elbow, snatching a steak off the plate as he moved to sit down. "I bet that's what she was doing in the bath last night, Dean. What are you doing?" The disbelief in his voice had both Hunters looking up, and Dean narrowed his eyes at Bobby.

"I second the question."

Bobby shook his head, feeding Kiara another bit of the raw hamburger. "Last night, look like she was scrubbing herself? If so, yup. Surprised Autumn didn't mention it to you guys."

"We didn't exactly hang around to chat. Got most of the information in a note." As his mind flickered back to the brief talk with Autumn ( _'last talk',_ his mind taunted), Dean remembered something the witch had said.

' _Rare to raw meat is good for her, she needs the iron in it right now.'_

"Okay, so maybe Autumn mentioned something about her needing the iron…"

Bobby's laugh was low and gruff, and he tapped Kiara's nose as she tried to reach for the raw meat. "Yeah, she's sick, and stressed, and about two seconds from a growth-spurt…she needs the iron bad, dontcha? Yes the baby does." He flicked a glance at Dean, and his eyes softened. "You didn't do anything wrong boy. She'd have been fine until she got up to her family."

Dean sighed, and cut his steak with a little more force than may have fully been necessary. "Yeah, well."

The silence that stretched out afterward was a little awkward, until Kiara stretched a small fist across the table, a few bits of meat clenched in the small digits. "Din."

"No kiddo, that's yours." Dean held up a chunk of perfectly-cooked steak, despite the teasing he'd given his brother. "This is mine." She nodded, and sucked her fist, wiggling happily as she hummed. And just that easily, the tension was dissipated, and she smiled as the three men resumed conversation around her.

* * *

One side effect of the rare meat that either Bobby didn't know, or knew and didn't bother to tell them, was the start of crazies.

Dean heard the scrabbling of nails on the kitchen floor, and laughed, pulling his feet back up on the coffee-table. "Incoming."

Either Sam was too slow, or Kiara quicker than expected, but a moment later the yelp as tiny puppy teeth sank into socked toes was hilarious. "Damnit pup!" He tried to pull his foot away, but she took it as her 'prey' getting away, and flopped on her side, ears pinned back as she growled around the mouthful, grinding her teeth as she rabbit-kicked the sole of his foot as viciously as she could.

Not that it was very hard. Nope, it was a lot harder to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl as the tiny claws tickled.

"Bobby, did you know about this?"

The older man laughed, his own feet well secured in boots and well out of the reach of hyperactive puppies. "That's a secret I'll damn well take to my grave boy."

And just as quickly, she flopped onto her belly, getting claws into the carpet as she launched herself out into the kitchen, the slide of paws on the linoleum a prequel to the thud as she slid into the stove. "Outgoing!"

*********************


	9. Chapter 9

Dean came awake in the dark, brow furrowing as he tried to figure out what had pulled him from sleep. The house was quiet, the steady drumming of rain on the roof above the bedrooms a lullaby of sorts. Sam was still asleep, half-buried under blankets and pillows, and the steady snores from beyond the hallway implied that Bobby was still asleep as well.

A hefty, annoyed sigh from his side tugged his gaze down, and he flinched reactively to the glowing turquoise orbs peering up at him. Kiara squirmed a little, huffed another sigh, and frowned. "God," he groaned softly, flopping an arm over his eyes as he debated the likelihood of the toddler just settling down on her own. She squirmed again, and he let out an amused breath, shaking his head as he started to slide out of the sheets. "Alright, just a second. I gotta get clothes." The words were more breath than sound, but Sam still stirred, making a questioning grunt in the darkness. Dean waited as he tugged on sweats, and his little brother stilled, apparently not awake enough to press the issue.

Kiara had already made her way to the edge of the bed, and slid down with a practiced grace, feet thumping lightly on the floor before she toddled carefully towards the door. "Jeez, can you wait?" He snagged Sam's hoodie from the chair; it was quicker than finding his own clothing, and the thing was warm anyway.

He reached Kiara just as she hit the steps, and he shook his head, watching amused as she slid down them on her rump, grunting as she hit each step before she slid towards the next. He couldn't say much, he had fond memories of him and Sam racing each other down the stairs the same way when they were much, much younger. They'd eventually perfected taking them at the right angle to make it more-or-less a steady slide down the treads.

She's waiting patiently by the door for him, and he picked her up, ruffling her hair as they step over the small but solid salt lines, and she buried her face in the thick folds of the hoodie against the cold, rain-scented breeze. Bobby had installed a porch swing a few years back, and Dean eased onto it, twisting so he had his back against the armrest, but a foot on the floor to push the swing steadily.

Kiara waited until he got settled before squirming, contorting until she pressed into his side, trapped between him and the backrest, and raised her nose to the sky, scenting the air as Dean closed his eyes and started moving the swing. "Man, kid, I gotta tell you, this doesn't hold a light to that warm bed upstairs, you know?" He cracked a green eye, chuckling as she snorted at him, grey eyes closed as she breathed in the night air.

He understood it, in a way. Sam was usually the one to lay out in the rain, eyes watching the lightening tear across the skies, but Dean still reveled in fury of the storms, still slept heavier when the rain lashed the shelter they were in, be it motel, house or Impala. His gut said there was no danger out here, so he settled further in, yawned enough to creak his jaw, and dozed off, letting the puppy soothe herself.

Only to be jerked away again as she shuddered against him, longing keening whimpers rising from her. "What's the matter baby girl?" He swallowed hard at the tears spilling from her eyes, and she didn't hesitate when he shifted, offering a hug, scrambling up into his lap to bury her face in Sam's hoodie, sobbing softly. "You know, don't you?" Dean sighed, setting the swing into steady motion as he watched the lightening light up the belly of the storm clouds, the thunder grumbling on its heels. "Something tells me that you know already, dontcha?" He tugged the shirt around her a little more, offering insulation from the night air. "Even if you don't know what exactly is going on, you know the jist. I know, sweetheart. Felt the same thing the night that Mom died. Dad didn't really have to explain it, you know? Just…knew things weren't ever gonna be the same. Knew she wasn't gonna come back." Kiara nodded against his chest, hiccups mixing with the sobs, and he tugged her closer, and did the only thing he could think of.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better…"

* * *

The spicy scent of sausage and coffee wafted up the staircase, teasing Dean awake. He yawned, stretching with a low groan as he tried to convince the scent to come back in five minutes. As he stretched, his foot caught the sheet, which slung the quilt to the floor, and he sighed, resigning himself to the fact he was awake. "Damnit."

"Shut it. Some of us are tryin to sleep," Sam muttered from his bed, burrowing his head under the pillow as he groaned.

"Rise and shine, Sammy." Dean grinned and threw his pillow at his brother, not surprised in the least when the youngest Winchester snagged it and claimed it as his own, adding it to his pile. "Come on Kiara, up and at 'em pup."

Kiara wasn't in bed.

Dean had a moment where time froze, panic flooding over him, but he heard Kiara's giggling float up the stair, and he slumped, sighing in relief. "That kid is gonna kill me, you know that, right?"

"Mmm. Sleeping."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't bitch to me when there ain't no food Sammy." He dragged sweats on, rummaged until he found a shirt that was decent, and made his way down the stairs to where he could hear Bobby's low rumble and Kiara's babbling.

He heard Rove's tags rattling as he turned the corner, and he paused in the kitchen doorway, grinning at the scene in front of him. The twerp was sitting on the counter, pulling chunks of sausage links and bread pieces out of a bowl beside her, dropping them one by one to Rove, who was eagerly snatching up the treats. Each time she dropped one, Bobby grunted low, voice pitched low and menacing. "Hey!" Kiara would squeal, clapping excitedly as she kicked the counters in delight, and he'd grumble and mutter at her for a few moments before turning back to the pan he was watching. At which point, with a sly look at the older Hunter, she'd fish another treat out of the bowl, and make sure Bobby's eyes were in a range to see her drop it to Rove.

This time, Bobby leaned over, growling as he mouthed her belly, and she squealed like a piglet, squirming violently as she laughed. "Bobby, don't go eatin the kid. It'll be hard to explain later."

"DIN!" With a cry and squirm, she about launched herself off the counter, and Bobby's quick reflexes barely caught her in time, settling her on the floor as she tore across the linoleum.

"Hey kiddo." He swooped her up, chuckling as her little hands started gesturing wildly.

"Got coffee over here for you boy." Bobby's eyes were a little guarded as he watched Dean, and Dean couldn't resist the smirk he tossed across the table at his surrogate father.

"What's she goin on about?"

"I think you caught the main jist watching earlier. Like a damned cat, I swear. Your brother up yet?"

Dean plopped Kiara back on the counter, keeping his mug out of her grubby reach, and sipped the black brew, sighing blissfully as it warmed him. "Not yet. Kept growling about sleeping. Told him he couldn't bitch about no food though, so he may be down soon. Hard to tell." Dean peered in the pan, snagging a sausage link out of the cast iron when Bobby had his back turned. "Shit."

"Yeah, that's hot. Tends to happen when you cook it, idjit." Bobby shook his head, fishing out the done links and putting them with their cooked brethren in the warmed oven. "Got French toast too, figured I'd do eggs if anyone wanted 'em. Puppy's already had two, enough sausage I asked if she'd need another pig. And a bottle of formula."

The pan sizzled as he dumped in more links, and Kiara cackled low and evilly as she reached none too subtly for the bowl, throwing another piece to Rove. "She wake you up?"

"Hey! Nah, got up and she was sitting on the floor in your room, digging in the bags. Looked bored as hell, figured I'd see if she'd be interested in something to do while you two slept. Took a bit to get her ass outta the room, kept looking at you like I was kidnappin her or something." He shook his head, resettling his trucker hat, and yawned, scratching his belly. "Once she realized I had food, and you weren't gonna yell, she came along pretty well. Went out with the dog, the two of them tore it up in and around the cars for a bit while I had my coffee. Came in, been feedin Rove his morning treats for awhile, keeps her outta trouble. Pretty quiet kid."

Dean just smirked.

* * *

"Alright, you boys call if you need anything, you hear me?" Bobby stood with his arms braced on the roof of the Impala, watching Dean settle Kiara in the seat between him and Sam.

"Yes Bobby."

"Don't smart me Sam."

"Yes Bobby." Sam smirked at the older hunter, and Bobby just shook his head.

"Smartass." The quiet lingered for a moment, and Bobby cleared his throat. "So how much further you got?"

Dean shrugged casually, sliding the keys into the ignition, but not cranking the engine. "Halfway done already. We drove straight through, about 18 hours. What'd we figure Sammy, another 1500 miles, give or take?"

"Yeah. We figured staying off the main roads though as much as possible, due to the Hunters. Might be less now."

"Well, you boys be careful out there." Bobby thumped the top of the classic fondly, stepping back as Dean fired her up.

"You too Bobby. We'll call you later, okay?" Dean didn't wait for a reply, just dropped the Impala into drive and gave her the gas. Bobby smiled, waving to the toddler that twisted around to wave frantically at him.

"Oh kiddo, you're gonna break their hearts." He sighed, kicked a rock across the gravel. "Damnit."  
************  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Sam didn't know if it was the large amounts of meat she'd had over their night at Bobby's, or if it was the chance to tear around the house and the yard, burning off energy, but Kiara seemed a lot more content to just amuse herself quietly in the Impala, letting them stretch it out to stopping every six hours to let her have mini crazies on the grass of rest stops. He'd been bored while Dean checked the fluids, and had grabbed a stick that was close by, throwing it idly. Kiara had chased it gleefully, and when he asked, brought it back, and that prompted a game of fetch that lasted longer than it should have.

Made the car ride more fun though, especially when he realized she liked rolled up socks just as much. He really didn't think Dean would follow through on some of his threats, but still, best to sleep lightly tonight, especially after that last stunt. He chuckled at the thought, and eyed the puppy that was twitching in her sleep, booted paws fluttering as she chased her dreams. "Makes you wonder what it is actually that dogs dream about."

Dean flicked his gaze over, smirking as she yipped softly, and shrugged. "Hard to tell. You could probably ask her though." Kiara whined quietly, and Dean returned his eyes to the road, stroking the soft puppy fur gently, and smiled as she stretched under the touch, sighing as she sank deeper into sleep.

* * *

Dean figured they were probably still about four hours of good driving time away from the coordinates that Autumn had given them when he decided to pull off for the night. There were a few small towns sprinkled ahead, and he was pretty sure it'd be easy to find a good quiet motel for the night, catch a few hours of sleep, and some food. They'd stopped and Kiara had grudgingly eaten; Sam had claimed to still be full, and the more the minutes clicked by, the more Dean's stomach churned.

Kiara was chasing her tail in the backseat when he saw the sign, pulling off carefully, bracing himself for Sam's bitching. And it didn't take long; he'd just eased the Impala into park when he heard the warning.

"We're stopping already?" He shrugged, killed the engine, pocketed the keys.

"Yeah, what of it?" He knew his tone was hard, and Kiara stopped, cocking her tiny head as she flicked grey eyes between the two Hunters.

Sam set his jaw, looked purposely at his watch. "We're only four, four and half hours out."

Dean rubbed his hand across his jaw, reminded himself that there was a baby in the back that wouldn't take well to yelling. "And it's also ten o'clock at night. Someone should have been in bed awhile ago, I'm sure, and I'm not handing over a baby to a bunch of shifting strangers in the woods in the middle of the night. Call me superstitious, but I think it's a bad idea." He got out, shutting the door on Sam's retort, and got the room, relieved to see it was at the far end. Kiara had been in her wolf form for the better part of the day, and he had seen the clear No Pet policy; further away made it a lot easier to smuggle her in and out as need be.

Sam was still brooding when Dean slid in again, pulling the classic around. "Here, find us some chow, and I'll take her in, settle her down for the night. We'll hit the road in the morning. Grab a paper while you're at it, we'll start finding a case. I'll call Pastor Jim, see if he's heard anything on the vine." Sam nodded, still pouting, and Dean shook his head, snagged kid and cargo, and watched as his baby's tail lights lit up, flashing as Sam pulled it into drive and left. Kiara waved, and Dean chuckled. "Let's get you inside kiddo."

He set her down just inside the door, not surprised in the least when tiny nose hit the carpet, sniffing every inch as he set his and her bags down, kicking off his boots under the edge of the first bed. "No, leave those alone," he warned when Kiara started sniffing them intently, and she sneezed, watching him with reproachful eyes as she sighed. "Yeah, I know, I'm mean." He fished out the loaded salt shaker, holes taped shut, that he usually carried with him, and salted the window and door, grinning as she watched curiously.

"You hungry?" She shook her head, paused, and lifted a hind leg to kick leisurely at her ear, tongue lolling out as she panted. "You are one weird, weird kid." He shook his head, and double checked the rest of the room before digging in his duffle again. "I'm grabbing a quick shower before Sam gets back, okay? And for safety's sake, I want you to stay in the bathroom."

Grey eyes analyzed him carefully, and he had the niggling sensation again that she was way smarter than that blonde swirl made her look, and in a flash of light, the toddler was back, standing carefully. "Din."

He knelt down beside her, picking her up easily, and she pointed to the salt, questions in her eyes. "We don't mess with that, okay? It keeps you safe, keeps bad things outside. Don't touch it, got it?" She nodded, slowly, and he grinned, kissing her forehead. "Good girl." He snagged the clothes he had fished out, and set them by the sink, letting her down on the floor before latching the door.

He had just started rinsing off when the curtain rattled sharply, a canine whine rising sharply. "It's okay Kiara." He heard a sneeze, and a moment later, a small black nose was poking around the edge of the material. "No, it's too hot. The water will burn you." She barked a little, and he sighed. "Give me a minute kid."

She could mutter, he'd grant her that. She made it clear she didn't like the idea, but the shadow disappeared, and a few minutes later, when he pulled back the shower curtain, she had her face on the floor, pushing her way up and down the tiles on the floor. "Yeah, that can't feel good." She grunted at him, flopping over and pushing her shoulder along the floor, eyes closed in bliss, and he shook his head. The kid was crazy.

He knotted the towel around his hips, gathered up clothes and kid, and set his cargo on the bed, trying to disregard the red lines raised by tiny claws. Kiara seemed content to amuse herself digging a nest in the sheets, and he let her, too tired to bother fussing with it as he dressed. He knew he shouldn't be tired, yet the fact of the matter was, he could easily sleep a week. He sighed, slumping a little, indulging in the chance to just _be_ without having to front, without Sam around. A slight pressure on his hip, and a small nose nudged his hand, whining softly, and he opened his eyes, sank fingers into the thick fur. "Yeah, I'm okay baby girl. Just tired. You hungry yet?" The look she gave him made it clear her opinion on that, and he chuckled, sinking down onto the bed to stretch out. "Alright then. We'll just wait for Sammy to get back." He knew he should call Pastor Jim, line up another hunt, but at the moment, he was too comfortable. Kiara snuggled closer, stretching out along his side, head resting on his stomach, and he flipped on the TV, letting the noise fill the room.

* * *

Sam paused in the doorway, smiling at the scene in front of him, and wished again he didn't have his hands full. The picture would be worth its weight in black-mail material. Dean was sprawled out in the bed, breathing deep and slow, and Sam knew by the simple fact that he didn't budge when the door had been opened, that he was _out_.

And Kiara was fused to his leg, head and one paw resting on Dean's stomach, just as deeply asleep, whiskers twitching as she dreamed. Sam set the bags on the table, not surprised much when an ear flicked in his direction before she cracked open a grey eye, watching him warily. He was debating if he should wake his brother or not when Kiara settled it for him, stretching hard as she yawned, and the weight moving woke up Dean, who jolted when he saw Sam.

"Shouldn't sneak up on people, Sammy. Not nice." Dean's voice was gruff and low as he sat up, rubbing his face hard as he tried to wake up, and Sam smirked.

"I didn't sneak up, you were passed out. Getting too late for you, old man?" A flipped finger was his response, and he smothered a laugh at the flattened patch of Dean's hair from the pillow. "You bathe the kid?"

"No, not yet. Figured I'd feed her first, but she's not hungry." Of course, she disproved him, sitting on his lap and stealing fries one by one, gnawing them into a gooey mash as Sam scrolled through pages, reading off headlines as he found them.

"Lake Erie monster sinks boats?"

"Terrified villagers flee Devil Chicken?"

"Vampires attack local town?"

"Deadly Woodpeckers turn streets red with blood?"

"Oh, six people disappear into haunted barn?"

"Sam, really?" Dean's look is one of obvious disbelief, and Sam chuckles.

"Okay, I think I may have found something. Not really sure if it's our sort of thing, but it's worth a shot. Woman claims that there's a horse by a lake that drowns people…maybe a Kelpie? Nix? Fauth? It's gotta be something Arrachd. I think I remember seeing something in Dad's journal about something like this… I want to say Hopewell people?"

"Mark that one, and we'll check it out. Got anything else?" Sam shook his head, still scrolling, and Dean stood, cracking his back. "Alright, I'll call Pastor Jim in the morning, and get Kiara in for a bath now."

It was amazing how quick that kid could move when you mentioned a bath.

* * *

Kiara bunked with Dean again that night, curled up in the cage of his arm and a pillow, and Sam tried to not notice how badly she fought sleep. Eventually, the two Hunters flipped out the lights, the full moon streaming through the filmy curtains, and warmed the room with a silvery glow.

Every time Sam glanced over, that glow showed neither Hunter nor child asleep, both awake and quiet through the night.

* * *

Pastor Jim had heard about the water horse, mentioned he was interested in sending someone, and Dean agreed they would later that day. Kiara was unusually clingy, refusing to let go of Dean, and he eventually handed the keys over to Sam, settling the toddler on his lap as she shivered, face buried in his shoulder.

"Dean, are we doing the right thing?"

The older Winchester grit his teeth, closing green eyes. "What else are we supposed to do, Sammy? We can't keep her. She belongs with her family."

Sam's sigh said everything, and Dean's silence agreed.

* * *

They were easing the Impala through a narrow dirt trail, thick green foliage filtering the light, when Kiara howled, the noise soft and thin, and both Hunters glanced at her. "Um, what was that?"

Dean caught a flash of fur through the trees, and blinked. "Remember what Autumn said, that she'd let us know when we were close? I think we're close."

The road curved, and as the Impala turned it, Sam hit the brakes, easing the classic to a stop, the pack of wolves blocking the road. A single woman stood among them, back ram-rod straight despite the grey hair falling in a heavy braid to her back, blue eyes like sapphires. Sam killed the engine, braced himself as he stepped out, trying to not notice Dean bury his face against Kiara's neck, inhaling sharply.

"You are the Hunters, with Alex's child, yes?" The woman's voice had a thick Irish accent, and Sam nodded, stepping around the nose of the care.

"Yes, we have Kiara. And you are?"

"The child's grandmother. You will hand her over now." The steel in her voice booked no argument, and Sam scratched the back of his neck, watching as Dean pulled out Kiara's bag, child half buried under his leather jacket.

"Um, Autumn packed her stuff, it's all there. She's been…"

"I know how to tend to a child, Hunter. You will do well to remember that," the woman interrupted, shifting her weight as a wolf beside her snarled. She didn't say anything else, just neatly plucked Kiara from Dean's grasp, gripping her tightly. She closed her eyes, exhaling softly, and then gave a smile, one that was cold and not welcoming at all. "Oh yes, she's a very special child."

"Yeah." Dean cleared his throat, took a step back, uneasy.

"Din?" Kiara twisted, reaching out chubby arms to her 'Din', and he swallowed hard, taking another step back.

"I'll see you later, okay Kiara?" Kiara started panicking then, breaths fast and shallow as she squirmed, eyes wide as she whimpered. "No, Kiara. You stay here." Dean rubbed a hand over his face, unable to stop the words, figuring he'd get in trouble for them. "When you're older, you can look us up. But you gotta stay with your family now." He took another step, falling even with Sam, and Kiara started protesting in earnest, crying as she lunged towards him, chanting his name.

"That is enough!" The woman snapped out a word, and Kiara quickly changed into her wolf form, tears still rolling down her cheeks, and the woman shifted her grip, grabbing a thick handful of scruff and shaking the pup firmly. "Quiet." The rough treatment didn't effect Kiara, just raised the level of her cries, and the woman raised her voice to be heard over the puppy. "Protocol dictates I must invite you in for refreshments."

"No. We're good, we gotta get going." The woman shook Kiara again, and Sam winced as Dean's jaw shifted, implying he was grinding his teeth, and Sam jerked his head towards the Impala. "Um…"

"Thank you again. Safe travels." The woman's eyes were hard and greedy, and Sam had a flash, a thought of grabbing the kid and fleeing, and knew it was foolish, but the thought was still there. Dean brushed past him, getting into the car and shutting the door firmly, cranked the engine.

"I'll see you later, Kiara. Be good." She howled again, panic in the noise, and he clenched his fists as the woman shook her a third time. He climbed into the car before he did something foolish, not surprised when Dean was moving the car before the door even latched. Silence reigned for a bit, until they hit the main road, and Sam ventured a try. "Dean…"

"Tell me about this case Sam." Dean's eyes never left the road, his voice flat, and Sam tried again.

"Come on, man,"

"Sam." His name was bitten off, hard and stern, and Sam flinched, hearing his Dad in the tone. "Tell me. About. The case." He nodded, and started reciting what he remembered, and tried to block out the memories of the crying, the calls.

And when he found a blue blanket, thoroughly covered in dog hair, stuffed under the bench seat days later, he didn't say a word about it, just put it back when he found the tape he was looking for.  
************  



	11. Chapter 11

Twenty Years Later:-

The incessant ringing of the phone dragged Sam from the doze the painkillers had put him in, and he glanced around blearily, trying to get his bearings together. He eventually found the phone, flipped it on. "Sam Singer, Singer Salvage."

"I'm lookin for a few parts for an older Ford truck, you got any on the lot?" The voice was young and female, hesitant, and he rubbed his eyes, wanting to groan. The young females were the worst; they usually didn't know what exactly they wanted, and the computer inventory program didn't show parts. And Dean was out on a hunt, so he couldn't hand it over. Fuck.

"Yeah, what kind of parts, and what year?"

"They're obscure, but if you've got the trucks, then you've got the parts, I'm sure. Year doesn't really matter, the parts the same on the late 70's up through the early 90's, so I don't doubt you have it. Any way to ship parts?" He blinked, startled by how the hesitance had turned into confidence, and he reached, pulling the laptop closer to open the inventory program.

"I've got a several Fords that fit that time frame. We don't ship; you want the part, you gotta come get it." He rattled off the address, and she confirmed it, saying she'd be there in about two days to get it. He hung up, shoved the computer away, and massaged his knee.

Damned useless thing.

* * *

Two days later:

Dean pulled the Impala into her garage, killing the engine and leaning back, sighing. He was home. The Hunt had been simple, a chupacabra, but everyone he'd talked with had been too busy to take it. Bonus was that it was down in Texas, so he could slip across the border, get some of the heavy, highly-illegal-without-a-medical-license type drugs that Sam needed, and buzz through Autumn's place on the way back.

Someone had bought the property. The old stone lions had been rebuilt, their eyes glittering queerly as they watched him, and he couldn't go any further. There was a metal dumpster though, that he could see from the stopping point, and a mountain of lumber. Someone was rebuilding the witch's home.

He sighed, reminded himself that it had been twenty years, and people were allowed to rebuild it. But damnit. He climbed out, and made his way inside, concerned when he didn't see Sam. The scent of roast filled the air, so the younger man had gotten up at some point, but he still hadn't made an appearance, or any noise.

Once he hit the den though, he realized why. There was roll of compression tape on the coffee table (purple this time), and through Sam's baggy sweats, he could see the lines of the bulky brace that stabilized his ruined knee. A bottle of the illicit painkillers sat by Sam's foot, and the younger Hunter was slumped over, snoring lightly.

Dean still felt a hit of guilt when he looked at Sam. It was his fault, he'd gotten cocky over the years. It had been months since they'd been hurt on a hunt, even longer since they'd been seriously hurt, and the case seemed like a simple open-shut werewolf hunt. He didn't research further, went in assuming and arrogant.

They didn't realize the bastard had made a mate a few days prior, and when that one got Sam, he could only watch helplessly as the thing threw his baby brother, a steel girder stopping his flight with a stomach twisting crunch. Sammy had screamed, a sound that still woke Dean up some nights, and it was a hard thing to kill the bitch before running to Sam, stomach lurching as he saw the mangled mess that used to be a fully-functioning knee. Hadn't hesitated to call 911, pressing firmly on Sam's pressure points to drop him into unconsciousness. _'Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind'_ , John's words to a young Dean, but it still didn't stop the twist of guilt when he saw the bruises later.

The doctors had talked about knee-replacement, were trying to get Sam to sign the consent forms, but he was panicked, fighting and resisting, and had begged and pleaded, tears in his eyes, imploring Dean to not sign them as his power of attorney.

He knew he was wrong, but he'd refused the doctors, and had smuggled Sam out later, taken him back to the Salvage yard they'd inherited from Bobby a few years back. Both Winchesters had been shocked when the older Hunter's attorney had called Dean's cell, explaining that the older man had passed, and his will had transferred everything he owned to the two boys, split 50-50 between Dean and Sam. So the two had settled in, and Sam took over the logistics of running the salvage yard, inventorying what he could on his good days, trying to block the pain on his bad days.

That was three years ago, that the accident had happened, and Dean couldn't help but notice that Sam had more bad days than good now. He was lucky to leave the house, spent most days on the couch or the chair, leg propped up, joint prone to locking or buckling at inopportune times. Dean crouched beside his little brother, shaking him lightly, and Sam startled, grunting in acknowledgement as he saw Dean.

"Hey man, I'm home."

"I see that." He scrubbed at his eyes, blinking hard. "Go okay?"

Dean nodded, voice still pitched low. "Yeah, simple. Got some more of the good stuff too." Sam nodded, eyes already fuzzy, and Dean patted his ankle. "Get some sleep Sammy." He was going to say more, but the crunch of gravel under tires jerked his attention around, and Sam froze. "Stay here. I'll look." He slipped quietly out the front door, thankful he hadn't unarmed yet.

The Jeep Wrangler was battered, mud splashed gruesomely along the dusky blue paint, the top stripped off, revealing the black frame. Dean paused on the porch, eyeing the figure that was standing in the driver's spot, arms braced casually along the top of the windshield, eyes hidden behind highly mirrored sunglasses that were snug on her face, making the features more angular. She had short hair, and it had to be dyed…Dean's seen his share of women, and never seen that color outside of a box. It's too…bright. Noticeable. Her thick denim jacket swung oddly, like it's weighted, and he frowned, stepping down off the porch, but staying between the SUV and the house.

"Who the hell are you?" He tried to keep the challenge out of his tone, but he figured he probably missed the mark there.

She smirked, shrugged casually. "Called a few days ago about parts for an old truck. Lookin for Sam Singer..he around?"

Dean frowned, trying to look apologetic. "Nope, he's gone home for the day. Might wanna try back tomorrow." The wind shifted, blowing at his back, and he shifted with it, widening his stance as the woman's brow suggested she was narrowing her eyes.

He could tell the moment the breeze hit her…not only did that shock of red hair move, but she froze, eyes widening so much that dark eyebrows snuck out from under the glasses. "Dean?"

That wasn't good. He's spent enough of his life hunting things with a good sense of smell, and if it knew his scent, he was screwed. He was sliding a hand around to the holster at his back, same time he registered Sam's steps on the porch behind him, which all coincided with the woman laughing. He couldn't even say the scramble out of the Jeep was graceful, more of a uncontrolled tumble down, and as thick black shitkickers landed in the dust, she was already striding towards them.

"Who the hell are you?" He didn't even bother to hide the challenge, snapped the words like the threat they were.

"Aw, you don't remember me?" The words were actually sincere, he could tell, and he froze as the woman was wrapped in a flash of light, two feet becoming four as the wolf bounded towards them. He had the pistol pulled and trained, even as the features recognized, and she froze, whining softly.

"Kiara?" Sam's voice was quiet, full of shock, and she yipped, ear flickering above the blond swirl, and Dean shook his head, holstering the weapon as the canine bounded up on the porch, blowing past the elder Winchester to lean carefully and fondly against Sam. "Jeez…" He buried his fingers in the thick fur, scratching as he laughed softly. The damned thing was massively huge, shoulders easily reaching Sam's waist, thick muscles roping across the rolling shoulders as she groaned, arching her neck to give Sam better access.

Kiara nuzzled against his hand for a few seconds before tumbling back down the stairs, shifting again somewhere in the mess to become the woman again, striding confidently across the dirt. "Hey Dean."

The words were soft, confident, and a bit warm, and he tilted his head. She slid the glasses up, pinning back the red locks, and the grey stare he remembered bore into him, bringing back fond memories, and he grinned. "Hey pup."

She laughed, stepping close enough to let him pull her into a hug. "You were the only ones to ever call me that." He hugged her hard, tensing at the twin bulges he felt, one against his stomach, the other under the hand at her back, and felt the smirk against his chest as she pulled away. Damn, but she was _short_ , especially considering how big her wolf was. She couldn't be over 5'2". He'd be surprised if she even hit that, considering the thick boots adding a good two inches to her height. "You know how hard you two are to pin down?"

"There's a reason for that. Come on, get inside you two. We're not savages to stand outside, and dinner isn't much longer." Sam admonished, and Kiara ducked her head, grinning widely as she headed for the steps. "Uh-uh, I don't think so." She froze, hurt flashing across her face, and Sam smiled, opening his arms. "You ain't passing me without a hug kiddo." He couldn't help but notice she didn't hesitate, just stepped into the embrace and sighed quietly, murmuring words that were almost too low to catch.

"I missed you guys."

* * *

Sam managed to get back in to the couch without too much limping, settling on the worn furniture with a soft grunt as Dean made his way into the kitchen, the scent of coffee wafting out a bit later. He stretched his throbbing knee, easing the right foot under the coffee table, and watched with amusement as Kiara slowly wandered the room, eyes closed, nose in the air as she inhaled slowly and deeply. "Having fun?"

"It smells just like I remember." The words were soft, quiet murmurs, and he shook his head, resting his cheek on his fist as he watched.

"Kid, get over here and sit down." Dean handed him a mug, and Sam settled it on his knee, letting the warmth from the ceramic soak into the joint as Kiara accepted her own, murmuring a soft thanks. She eased onto the couch, perching idly on the edge of the cushions, and Sam could feel the tension running through her frame. "So…not that we mind, but what brought you around?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Oh, Dean? Some woman called, wanted a few parts off some of the older trucks in the lot. She should be here today or tomorrow." Kiara smothered a laugh as Dean narrowed green eyes at his brother, and Sam tossed him a flippant grin.

"Just a few. I can get them before I head in town tonight. Not much until the truck is up and running."

Dean shook his head. "You're staying for dinner."

"If I do that, then I won't get in town before the storm finishes rolling in. And I don't have the top for Madre, so there's no way I'm driving home tonight," Kiara protested.

Dean shrugged casually as he leaned back in his chair, propping his feet on the coffee table. "Then I guess you're staying here tonight, aren't you?" Kiara started to argue, but Dean just gave that look Sam remembered so well from his childhood, the narrowing of green eyes and the set jaw that booked no argument. She slumped, sighing in a gust, and Dean nodded, settling back. "Thought so."

Sam shifted, glancing at Kiara. "So, um. I'm assuming you named your Jeep Madre?" his tone was a blend of curiosity and confusion, and she squirmed, pulling up her feet to sit cross-legged, knees resting on the thick curve of the boot soles.

"Not exactly. It's Madreconcha, but that's a bit of a mouthful, so it's usually just shortened."

Sam chewed his lip, and finally unable to resist the innate urge to correct someone that's wrong, spits out "Concha de tu madre."

"Shoulda been, yeah, but that's a helluva mouthful." A careless toss of her head, and she grinned. "So Madreconcha."

"Concha de tu madre. It's proper grammar."

"Dude, stow it. I know. Eli ranted about it forever and a day. Shush. It's my Jeep, my name. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the favor, suddenly feeling foolish as Dean laughed, shaking his head.

"Children, enough. Damn, and here I thought you had matured when you grew up."

"Oh no. Even worse now, I think." The words were full of pride, and Dean groaned, pushing himself upright as he ducked into the kitchen to check on the rolls he'd thrown in when he got the coffee. Kiara took the moment to subtly rub the swell under her shirt, humming softly, and Sam let his head fall back, resting against the edge of the worn couch as he waited for the painkillers to kick in.

It was a few minutes before Dean came back in, and he froze instantly in the doorway, frowning at Kiara. "Why are you humming that?" Sam jerked awake from the doze he'd apparently settled into, and the girl flinched, offering a hesitant smile.

"Because that's the only lullaby I had?"

Dean frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your mom sing it?" She snorted, raising a brow expectantly at the oldest Winchester, and he shook his head. "You were too young to remember me singing it."

"Not really. Loup Garou have amazing memories. I remember everything, from before I was born."

Sam watched with fascination as a red tint crept up Dean's face, and Kiara cackled wickedly, nodding. "Yup. Eli was always jealous of you, you know. I kept teasing that he couldn't measure up to the great Dean."

'The Great Dean' licked his lip slowly, shook his head, and stomped back into the kitchen. "Supper's ready," he tossed over his shoulder, and his voice sounded oddly strangled.

* * *

Kiara only picked at dinner, claiming she'd already eaten, but her stomach rumbling betrayed the lie. Still she was an adult, and Dean could only frown at her. They'd lingered over dinner, discussing little of importance. Kiara had mentioned that she was rebuilding Autumn's place, which explained the construction lately, and Dean had made murmurs about how unsafe it was.

"No more unsafe than when we lived there. Most unsafe thing we did was the pyres." Sam had questioned, and she had revealed that she had salted and burned the old Pack. It was an odd thing to do, even she said they usually 'pelted' the deceased, which was _way_ creepier than burning them, but the salting? That was something only Hunters did. She had dodged the question, murmuring that she had picked up the habit somewhere, and deflected the conversation to the parts she needed.

They had eventually moved back into the den, Dean stoking the wood burner with more wood, the warmth radiating out thick and soothing. At least, it was to him and Sam, who had fished out a laptop and was scrolling through translations the software had done earlier in the day. Kiara, on the other hand, kept fidgeting and shifting, restless-like, and he wasn't surprised when, with the first clap of thunder, she was outside, claiming she needed to cover the Jeep.

Dean gave her five minutes, knowing even that was generous, before trailing out after her, jacket pulled tightly closed against the cold wet rain. The wind was howling, muffling and throwing sounds, but he was willing to bet the kid was somewhere near her Jeep. And seriously, a Jeep? Not nearly as cool as the classic cars. He shook his head, sending water spraying already, and made his way to the uncovered blue monstrosity, frowning unhappily as the rain mixed with the dry dust, creating that awkward mud that clung to the thick treads of his boots. Damnit, Sam was gonna bitch about the mud in the house again, he could just tell.

Sure enough, she was on the far side of the Jeep, one hand braced on the passenger door as she doubled over, retching hard into the dusty mud, the other hand braced on her knee. She startled when he rested his hand on her back, rubbing roughly through the wet denim that outlined the weapon at her back and another on her shoulder. He slid the hand up, cupping the back of her neck as she panted, swallowing hard, and took note of the lack of fever. "Kiddo, if you're sick, you shoulda just said something."

She shook her head, gagging, and panted harder for a moment, shoulders relaxing after a few minutes. "Not sick."

"Mm-hmm. Because, you know, vomiting in the rain is a perfectly healthy, normal thing. Yeah. Give me another line, kay?" He chuckled as she flipped him off casually, watching as she stood carefully, breathing deeply as she swallowed hard. "You look like shit."

"Thanks. Really." She spat over the mess before kicking the congealing mud over it, huffing a breath that, if any louder, would be a groan. "Get inside, I'll be a minute."

"I'll be surprised if Sam doesn't come out. Come on, inside. Now." He used the same tone of voice that usually had Sam doing what he wanted, and damned if the kid didn't laugh at him, voice husky from the puking.

"Gotta cover the Jeep." He rolled his eyes, but helped her, grabbing the backpack from the floorboards and the bundle of tarp from under the passenger seat, unrolling it and helping her secure it with bungee cords to cover the majority of the vehicle. "There." And she didn't waste time trotting back up the porch, shaking the rain from her hair with vigor.

* * *

The warm scent of cinnamon had tickled it's way under the bedroom door, and Sam rolled over, burying his face in the pillow as he groaned. His knee was already screaming, and he was hoping if he could dive back into sleep, maybe he could block it a little while longer. He shifted, and the pain drowned out everything else but his heartbeat for several long moments, brought tears of pain welling up in his eyes. "Damnit." He inhaled sharply, sucking back the snot that the pain-tears had created, and braced himself, rolling back over and standing in one quick, fluid movement. Bit back the yelp that rose to his lips as he swallowed back the bile the agony screaming along his nerves prompted. Slid on the brace, dry-swallowed the illegal drugs Dean smuggled in on regular occasion, and prayed that a heating pad and coffee would make it behave today. But given the storms due all weekend, it was unlikely.

He'd forgotten about the cinnamon scent until he opened his bedroom door, and the scent wafted up and wound around him like a lazy housecat, and he tried to ignore his grumbling stomach. Dean's door was still shut, and by the smells and the light, he was assuming Kiara was up.

They'd tried to get her into a guest room, they really had, but she insisted on the couch, and after she'd passed out on it after a quick shower, neither had the heart (or, in Sam's case, the ability) to move her. So they'd made sure the wood stove had enough to last until morning, latched and locked the doors, and covered her with a worn quilt before slipping into bed around midnight. He knew Dean was worried about letting her be the first defense, but Sam had eyed the three boot sheaths, the twin Glocks she'd unloaded, the switchblade from her pocket, and the daggers she had in forearm sheaths. The puppy was packing more heat than they usually took on hunts, and handled each with a calm confidence that implied she had no qualms about using them.

The russet blood that highlighted one handle of the daggers said that much.

He found her in the kitchen, sitting on the counters without a care, a cup of coffee in front of her as she hummed softly, bare feet tapping into the cabinets in time to the song as she flipped through pages, highlighting lines of text as she read the printouts. The old tee-shirt was worn and faded, and draped along the bulge at her waist, the jeans slung low under. He made sure to make enough noise to not startle her, and waved blearily as he headed towards the brewed coffee.

"Morning!" She was chipper…it figured. He mumbled something in response, settling heavily into a chair as his knee protested. She didn't take offense, just went back to her papers, and he realized he could hear the steady ticking of a timer. So the smell of something good wasn't his imagination. She distractedly picked up her mug, sipping slowly as she read something, and he frowned.

"Should you be drinking that?" He was pretty sure he'd read somewhere that pregnant women weren't supposed to have caffeine.

She didn't raise her eyes, just set the mug on the counter, and flipped him off casually. "I'm allowed a cup a day. Let me enjoy it." He shrugged, and snagged the book he'd been reading lately, letting the quiet of the house settle in as the painkillers tried to work.

Kiara had gone through the papers and was on her second time through, this time with another color, when Sam stood to get his second cup. He took a moment to get the joint to lock properly, trying to ignore Kiara's scrutiny, and hobbled over to the counter the same time the timer went off. He heard the last stair creak, telling him Dean was up, and at that moment, realized Kiara was going to hop off the counter.

Seemed like a bad idea to him. He grabbed for her, hand closing on a bare forearm, and both gasped sharply as they stumbled apart, Sam gripping the counter hard as Kiara sat heavily, hand pressed right above her eyes. "You guys okay?" Dean's voice was gruff and a bit concerned as he eyed the two, and Sam nodded quickly, blinking hard to get his mind back online. His hand still tingled, felt like he had stuck it into a lightening path, and he tried to subtly shake it out.

"She uh, shocked me, I think." He shook his head hard, and went to help Kiara up, realizing abruptly that his knee didn't hurt. "Um."

"Sorry," Kiara grunted, shaking her own head just as hard. "You surprised me. Won't happen again." She slumped forward, breathing hard, and Dean stepped to help her up, pausing as she held up a hand. "No."

"Kiara, what happened?"

She pushed herself slowly and awkwardly to her feet, rolling her shoulders before patting her belly absently. "Sorry."

Sam snorted, grabbing pot holders and checking the coffee cake that the timer was still upset about, pulling it out when he realized it was done. "Don't apologize kiddo. Just, kinda curious what happened."

The Loup Garou sighed, gesturing Dean over, and eyeing both Hunters for a moment before locking grey eyes on green. "Do you mind if I show you? It's easier than explaining, at first." Dean nodded. "Hold out your hand."

He had bashed his knuckles open a few days ago, tearing a part off one of the old junkers, and she knew it'd work pretty well for what she wanted. She settled her fingertips lightly on the back of his hand, watching the torn skin knit back together steadily. "What the hell…"

"Yeah, it's something I can do. Remember when Nana said I was special? This is what she meant. One reason I'm not too terribly worried about the pups." Sam realized she had widened her stance, frame tense as she watched them, and he wanted to reassure her, but the implications of what she was saying had his throat tight.

"Does this mean you healed Sam's knee? And when you were a kid, my shoulder…" Dean's voice was gruff still, and Sam shook himself a bit, getting both of them coffee, thrusting the warm ceramic to his brother as Kiara answered.

"No, and yes. Your shoulder…I hadn't learned how to control it yet. So everytime you guys touched me, you got healed. I didn't heal Sam's knee…the contact was too brief. I got the basic info, and killed the pain. That's it. It's still just as damaged."

"Can you heal it?" And there was the protective and pressing voice Sam was waiting for, the one that implied Dean would do anything possible for the answer he wanted to hear.

Kiara pulled out a chair, sitting slowly, and rubbed her eyes. "Possibly. I'd have to look closer, it'd take a _lot_ of time, and even then, I'm not guaranteeing anything."

"Not sure you're strong enough?" Dean's voice was just shy of a challenge as he took a seat, and Sam opted to remain standing, leaning against the counter as he watched them.

Kiara snorted wryly. "I've healed damage that should have left someone dead. We think, given enough time, I might even be able to do just that, reverse Death. Not that I have any interest in trying, but Nana thought so. No, it's the fact that my body won't let me do anything that endangers the pups. So I can't guarantee I'd be able to. Though, that suggests maybe. The other part is, if, while healing, Sam damaged it, then I might not be able to reverse the secondary damage. And third…Sam hasn't agreed to anything. And if I could, and if he said yes, then we're still talking months."

"Why months? Why not just do it now?"

"Because. The damage is severe, Dean. I don't think you realize just how much. I'd be more or less totally rebuilding his entire knee, and every surrounding tissue. I'd have to heal a small section, let that bit strengthen, heal another part, let that bit strengthen. If I did it all at once, his joint would be too weak. As soon as he put weight on it…it'd just shred again."

Sam stared at his coffee; couldn't look at the young woman slowly and absently rubbing the side of her stomach as he asked the question that had his stomach churning. "How long are we talking?"

"Probably, six to seven months. It'd have to be every other week or so, just a little bit. It'd take a lot of time, and you'd have to listen to me, follow everything I say." He caught the shrug out of his peripheral vision. "You screw anything up, the damage would likely be permanent."

The quiet pressed on them for a bit before Sam stood, fishing out three small plates and three forks, slicing the cake into thick chunks and serving them before he sat down, mind whirling. The thought of the surgery the doctors wanted to do scared him badly enough, he'd braced himself for a life of agony, of the pain sticking with him. The idea of an out was so tempting.

Dean's voice startled him away from the contemplation. "I see you're feeling better this morning."

Kiara snorted wryly as she took another healthy bite. "Told you last night I wasn't sick."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, not really. It's a little thing called morning sickness, Dean. Surely you've heard of it." Her tone was wryly sarcastic, and Sam grinned. "Mine just hits at night. One reason I don't really eat after late afternoon. Keeps it from getting worse."

The pain was starting to creep back in, slowly, and Sam raised his eyes to watch the banter, unable to keep the shiver from his spine as Kiara's grey eyes latched onto his hazel, and her entire being softened as she tilted her head. He licked his lip, refusing to look away. "If I say yes?"

Her eyes held no false promises, just honest sincerity. "If everything checks out, and you agree to everything, I can get started today. I'm warning you again though…this isn't a one-time fix. This will take months, okay?"

He offered a smile, trying to beat back the odd panic that was trying to flare. "Then I guess we ought to fix the guest room, huh?"

* * *

She had him sit in the living room, foot up on the coffee table as she prodded and felt, thumbs working in what almost felt like a deep massage as she hummed low, eyes focused on something only she could see. After what felt like eons, but the clock said was only minutes, she sat back, chewing on a corner of her lip. "I think I can fix this. What the hell happened though?"

Dean shrugged from his spot in the doorway. "Steel girder. Werewolf. Ended kinda messily." He noticed her eyes went flat and hard in a flash, and he furrowed his brow, but she shook it off just as quickly.

"How long ago?"

"Three and half years." She nodded, setting Sam's brace under the table as she casually rested her hand on the joint, shifting so she could sit easier.

"You're lucky. Much more damage, and I'd be really hesitant to try. Dean, bring me my highlighters, papers and a timer."

Sam couldn't quite contain the thankful sigh of relief as the pain swelled away, leaving a warm tingle in the joint as she accepted the papers with one hand from Dean, eyes already flickering over the text as she punched in digits on the timer, setting it. "What are you doing?"

She didn't look up, just grabbed another color, popping the lid off with one hand. "Seeing how long fixes how much damage. I don't think I want to go over an hour."

"I think he meant with the papers," Dean offered as he sank into his chair, leaning forward to rest elbows on his knees.

She glanced up, shrugged. "Going through offers to join the pack. A new pack always has a lot of offers to join, but not always enough spots, and sometimes, there's people you just don't want, you know?" She looked at Sam, shifting her hand a little. "Still feel okay?" He nodded, and she went back to the papers.

* * *

She decided on a half-hour, and made it clear that under no circumstances was he to put any form of weight on the joint for the six hours after, eight if at all possible. She left an entire sheet of paper with him, written in neat, tight writing, detailing what he could and couldn't, should and shouldn't do, and her cell number to reach her. She promised to return in two weeks, and after yanking the appropriate parts, with a quick hug to each, disappeared with a flash of taillights down the highway.

* * *

Two weeks later, she returned, a little more worn, a little more tired, but still the pup they liked. She checked Sam's knee carefully before settling in, starting his healing a little after dinner, and helped Dean brace him to get him up to his room later, trying to keep any weight off it for as long as possible.

The next morning, Kiara revealed that she'd been seeking them, wanted permission for something that she felt was silly, but important to her. She wanted to name her cubs after them, figuring that without the brothers, the cubs wouldn't have been around. They'd pressed and questioned, and she finally admitted that she figured they were twins, based on Loup Garou habit to birth twins, and when Dean pressed harder, that she expected to be about three and half months.

She stuck around for the weekend, leaving them with a promise to see them again in two weeks, and reminding Sam to stay off the knee.

* * *

Four weeks after they first re-discovered Kiara, which wound up being a week before Christmas, she called from the road, bitching and muttering about her pack tossing her out on a vacation. It seemed odd to both Winchesters, but Dean didn't hesitate to offer her a place to crash for the two weeks before she was allowed to return, and Sam didn't comment when, the next day, Dean lugged in a rather impressive evergreen from the back edge of the lot. And when she showed up, neither commented on her appearance, pale and worn and tired.

And a week later, as Dean dozed in his chair, Kiara snagged Sam's hand, pressing it against her belly, and watched the wonder as his namesake moved under his touch.

* * *

After the new year, as Kiara was packing for her return trip after her regular visit, Dean cornered her, pushing and pressing until she caved, spilling the details of the father who was never around, the father that had been killed by a poltergeist in a Hunt. Sam couldn't help but wonder if this is what Dean had watched when he'd gone toe to toe with John in his youth. Dean was raging that it wasn't safe, it was reckless for the wolves to be Hunting, considering the last pack, and Kiara was just adamant that it was only right, that the less supernatural activity in the area, the less likely Hunters were to show up. She'd left in a fit of slamming doors and squealing tires, and Dean had stomped out to the back lot, shots firing later at the targets.

* * *

On her fifth visit, Kiara scared everyone when she slipped in the shower, landing hard, and snarling and snapping at both of them for hovering. She threw a royal fit until she tried to heal Sam's knee that night, and nothing happened. She quieted a bit, and all three tried to keep from panicking when later, she started spotting. Sam wasn't surprised the least when Dean wound up hauling her into his lap, rocking her quietly.

That night, they decided she was staying put for several days, and after talking with her beta Jasmine, it was pretty well agreed. Kiara put on a good show, but they saw the relief in her eyes.

* * *

Jasmine called a few days prior to her visit in May. Sam was due for another three healings, but Jasmine said Kiara had started contractions, and that's when Sam had argued that she was only probably 30 weeks, the quiet agreement startled both.

* * *

It was two months later that the blue Jeep rattled back in the drive, driven by a much more slender Kiara, and two dozing puppies that squeaked and squirmed their way right into the Winchester hearts. And really, neither one was surprised.

* * *

  



End file.
